Raoul Dufy is a favorite artist. In Marcel Brion's short introduction to a small collection of his work he writes, "His optimism did not come from laziness or a vacant mind, but rather from a fullnes of life, a harmonious and contented nature, and happiness in his environment. 'I can only give you a fraction of my inward joy,' he used to say when friends looked at his pictures. His work shows no trace of worry or anxiety, the dramatic content is entirely absent, and each touch of color, every pencil line, re-echoes like a shout of happiness."Each scene he painted seems to me to be captured at the pinnacle of it's existence, everything in its best moment. His paintings appear to me to be growing before your eyes. The paintings don't seem static, there is almost movement in them . They are simply beautiful.
I once read that truth and beauty have the same source and so they should be sought with equal relish. And, I recently read, "For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness...Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments."
Dufy was quoted as saying, "eyes are made to obliterate everything that is ugly." Dostoyevsky wrote, "Beauty will save the world." It's something to think about anyway.
Raoul Dufy is a contemporary of Matisse and participated in the movement from Impressionism to Fauvism which Dufy described as. "Imagination translated into design and color." He is not as famous as some of the other masters of his time, but if you look for him you can find posters and cards on the web and in more shops that you might expect. Best Wishes... Tiffany
