July 14th at Havre 1906

Albert Marquet made "July 14th at Havre" sometime in the early 20th century, probably with oil paint on canvas or board. There’s a real sense of movement in this picture, a liveliness that comes from the broken brushstrokes and the way the colors vibrate against each other. Look at the French flag at the top of the frame, the white and blue of the flag rendered with a muted greyscale palette. The paint application is fairly thin here, with more impasto used in the lower section of the canvas around the figures standing on the pavement and the bright orange tones in the lower-left of the frame. The flags are everywhere, creating a sense of depth and celebratory activity. Marquet's color palette is pretty restrained here, but the touches of red and blue really pop against the grays and browns. I'm reminded of Dufy, a contemporary of Marquet who also painted similar scenes. They both found ways to capture the energy and excitement of modern life, even in something as simple as a street scene on a holiday.