Reclining Nude 1930

Raoul Dufy made this painting, Reclining Nude, using oil on canvas. Dufy's paintings are full of light and life, aren’t they? I can imagine him standing in front of the canvas, brush loaded with thin washes of juicy color. Look how the figure seems to float on the surface, contours scribbled with such freedom! The background is like a stage set, all decorative motifs and patterns that dance around her body. I wonder, was he thinking of Matisse? There’s something about the way he flattens space, making it feel so immediate and joyful. Then again, maybe he was just lost in the pleasure of color itself, the way blues and purples vibrate against the warmth of the nude. In the end, artists are always looking at each other, aren’t they? Taking notes, stealing ideas, and pushing things forward. And that’s the beauty of painting, it’s never really finished, is it? Always in process.