Marie Max 1927

Raoul Dufy made this watercolor, Marie Max, in Lyon, France. It feels so quick! Like he’s racing against the clock to get her down on paper before she disappears. I bet she was sitting right in front of him in a busy cafe; he probably only had 20 minutes to capture her essence. Look at how he’s used these blues and reds to bring her patterned jacket to life. He hasn’t laboured over the details; it’s more about capturing her spirit, you know? I can imagine him dabbing at the paper, mixing the colors right there, letting the water do its thing, creating these soft, blurry edges. The colors bleed a little, giving it that fresh, spontaneous vibe, like he’s just thrown the paint down and hoped for the best. I love the way Dufy doesn’t try to hide his brushstrokes, you can see how the painting was constructed, layer by layer. I feel like I can almost see Dufy there, watching her, thinking about painting!