Le Havre is a major port in the Normandy region of Northern France, where the Seine River meets the English Channel. At the time it was known as a busy port for people starting new lives, particularly Americans from New York and New Orleans. The excitement and hope radiating from these travellers, their optimism for the future, perhaps influenced how Dufy saw the world as a young man. The artist chose to ignore the grim and industrial nature of the city, instead focusing on sunlight and colour, as his enchanting paintings demonstrate.
Jean Dufy was born in Le Havre in 1888 and came from a large, musically as well as artistically, very talented family.
DIMENSIONS: (unframed) 21.8 x 25.6 in. / 55.4 x 65 cm
SIGNATURE: Signed and dated (lower right)
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas