Café au damier 1961

Jean Dubuffet made this watercolour painting, Café au damier, with ink and watercolour on paper. It’s hard to know when, but the wonky buildings and weirdly proportioned vehicles are made with sketchy lines and diluted colour washes, that give this piece a naively charming quality. The surface of the paper is visible in areas, giving the piece an unfinished, provisional feel. In contrast to the transparent washes, in some areas, like the red sign on the side of the bus, the paint is more opaque, acting as an anchor for the composition. I really like the way Dubuffet uses line to suggest form and movement, almost like a comic book or cartoon. Look at the large bus on the left: the wheels, the window, the passengers inside are all rendered with such simplicity. Dubuffet was interested in the art of children and the mentally ill, and he sought to emulate their raw, uninhibited style in his own work. You can see the influence of these sources in the simplified forms, awkward perspective, and scribbled lines of this painting. It reminds me of Picasso, who also took inspiration from the art of children. Ultimately, though, Dubuffet’s vision is unique, funny, and deeply human.