Carnival on the Beach 1906

Albert Marquet painted this wonderfully lively Carnival on the Beach with oil on canvas. Just look at the scene he's conjured, with these rapid marks in this sandy, creamy ground. It's like a stage, isn't it? The colours are a real joy too, Marquet uses them in simple blocks, with a great awareness for their interaction. The way he places that dash of red next to the black, for example. The paint is applied in a loose, informal manner, there is no sense that this is a highly polished or refined scene. Look at the group of figures at the bottom of the canvas; they become simplified to the point of near abstraction. Marquet embraces the joy of mark making, I'm reminded of Dufy who was a contemporary of Marquet and shared a similar approach, both artists were interested in how the qualities of colour, line, and form might convey the sheer pleasure of being in the world. It’s so good.