Posters at Trouville 1906

Raoul Dufy, sometime in the early 20th century, painted 'Posters at Trouville' with a light touch that feels both immediate and breezy. I love how the artist builds the scene with simple shapes and bright colours. Imagine Dufy at his easel, trying to capture the ephemeral feeling of a day at the beach. It's like he’s thinking out loud with his brush! The yellow and red blocks of colour become advertising posters, the blobs become people, and the spindly lines become masts. Check out that one red stroke, how it defines the rooftop and creates a jolt of energy that makes everything else vibrate. There is a sense of vibrancy to the painting, as the artist embraces the idea of capturing a fleeting moment in time. It makes me think about other artists, like Matisse, who were also playing with colour and form to create their own vision of reality. And that’s the thing about painting, isn’t it? It’s an ongoing conversation between artists, each one building on what came before. So here we are, years later, still talking about these paintings and finding new things to see in them.