Self-Portrait 1901

This watercolor self-portrait was made by Raoul Dufy in 1901, and it's all about how seeing becomes feeling. Dufy's process feels so open, almost like he's thinking aloud with the brush, letting the water and pigment do their thing. Look at how the pigment blooms on the paper, especially around the eyes and hair. It's like he's caught himself in a fleeting moment of self-awareness. The colors are warm, earthy tones, but they're laid down in these quick, transparent washes that give the whole image a kind of shimmering, ethereal quality. The brushwork is loose and gestural, almost like he's trying to capture not just his likeness, but his very essence. The way he lets the paint drip and flow, it's almost like he's inviting us to collaborate with him in the act of seeing. It reminds me a bit of Cezanne, who was also interested in capturing the shifting, unstable nature of perception. Ultimately, it's this sense of openness and possibility that makes Dufy's work so compelling, because art is a conversation, not a lecture, right?