RAOUL DUFY

Provenance:
- Auction, Paris, 1926, no. 41.
- Auction, Stuttgart, 27–28 November 1956, no. 243.
- German private collection.

Literature:
Maurice Lafaille: Raoul Dufy. Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Geneva 1973, vol. II, p. 144, no. 585 (with b/w ill.).

Saint-Jeannet is a beautiful village in southern France, located near Vence in the Alpes-Maritimes and situated halfway up a hillside. During various short visits between 1920 and 1927, Raoul Dufy produced at least 11 oil paintings of the village and about the same number of watercolours. The picturesque landscape with its vineyards and the beautiful houses inspired Dufy and provided a location that attracted time and again. Dufy's major breakthrough as a recognised artist began in the early/mid-1920s. His style was then established. The present work was created at that time and shows a comparatively close-up view of the village hill. In a style that was already secure, Dufy creates a dynamic landscape by purposely employing individual brushstrokes to render a fantastic view of the village and its surroundings.