The nautical Club with Cowes 1936

Raoul Dufy made this painting, The Nautical Club with Cowes, with oil on canvas. Dufy's work has this breezy, effortless look, but you know it's the result of some serious looking and editing. You can see how he's using color to push and pull the space, like how the orange wall really pops against that green window, suggesting the light outside and the contrast between the private world of the club, and the public one of the harbour. The paint is thin, almost watercolor-like in places, letting the canvas breathe through. Look at the way he suggests the folds of the curtains with just a few strokes. It's all about capturing the essence of a moment, not getting bogged down in details. He's not trying to trick you into thinking you're there; he's inviting you to feel what it's like to be there. I think of Matisse, another artist who uses color and line to create these joyful, immersive worlds. Dufy, like Matisse, reminds us that painting is a conversation, a way of seeing and feeling the world that's always open to new interpretations.