Study of the 'Dance' 1910

Raoul Dufy made this painting, 'Study of the Dance,' using loose, expressive brushwork and a limited palette of browns, blues and blacks. I can almost feel him working, figuring things out as he goes. There's a raw quality to the lines, like the painting is an unfolding thought. Look at the dancer's striped jacket. Each stroke seems to capture a moment, a feeling. What might Dufy have been thinking? Maybe about the rhythm of movement, the way dancers connect, or even the simple pleasure of watching people move together. This piece reminds me of Matisse, who Dufy knew, and shared an interest in the decorative arts and the relationship between figures and ground. It feels like a conversation across time. It also has a certain flatness, a raw expression, that you can find in folk art. What Dufy and so many artists teach us, is that painting is this ongoing dialogue. Each artist adds their own brushstroke to the story, and then it's our turn to respond.