Harbor Scene c. 1923

Raoul Dufy made this watercolor, Harbor Scene, on paper, and, well, what a breezy, buoyant beauty it is! Look at the sky-blue washes, the open brushstrokes. I can almost feel him dabbing, swiping, letting the water do its thing. And those flags! Imagine him, standing there, brush dancing, trying to catch the light, the flutter, the sheer joy of a day at sea. Dufy was always chasing that feeling, that lightness. You see it in his fabric designs too. He's like a Matisse but maybe even more carefree. There's a kind of knowing naiveté at play. Think about the confidence it takes to be so loose, so gestural. It's not just skill; it's a whole attitude. We're all in conversation with one another; the way we mark makes a statement. Dufy says painting is about capturing joy, capturing the moment, and sharing it with everyone.