Indian woman 1928

Raoul Dufy made this painting, Indian Woman, with oil on canvas, and it’s all about how a painting can be a big, flat, decorative thing. Dufy’s brushstrokes are quick, like he’s capturing a fleeting moment, a brief sensation, and it’s this lightness that gives the painting its charm. Look at the way the patterns overlap, creating a kind of visual symphony. It is almost as if Dufy invites us to lose ourselves in the sheer pleasure of looking. The colors are bright, but they are applied in thin washes, allowing the canvas to breathe. He makes you wonder if Gustav Klimt ever saw this, with its free-spirited approach to ornamentation. Ultimately, Dufy shows us that a painting doesn't have to be a window into another world; it can be a world in itself, a celebration of color and form.