Dufy, Raoul

(born June 3, 1877, Le Havre, Fr.—died March 23, 1953, Forcalquier) French painter and designer. In 1900 he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and experimented with Impressionism, but by 1904 he had adopted the flat areas of bright colour typical of Fauvism. In the early 1920s he developed a distinctive style characterized by rapid calligraphic drawing on backgrounds of bright, decorative colour; his subjects were usually recreational scenes such as horse races, parades, and concerts. He also designed textiles and made numerous book illustrations.

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