Dufy, Raoul

Dufy, Raoul räo͞olˈ düfēˈ [key], 1877–1953, French painter, illustrator, and decorator, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. After meeting Matisse he abandoned his early impressionist style and turned c.1905 to the more spontaneous expression of fauvism. For a time he designed fabrics for the dressmaker Paul Poiret and illustrated books, including the writings of Apollinaire, Mallarmé, and Gide. Using swift, stenographic brushstrokes, he developed a remarkable linear virtuosity and brilliant color. Typical is his watercolor The Palm (Mus. of Modern Art, New York City).

See biography by R. Cogniat (1962); study by A. Werner (1970).

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