Raoul Dufy was born into a family of petty bourgeois and never showed a desire to “climb” higher up the social ladder – even when he became a recognized artist. But at the same time he constantly demonstrated his admiration to the powerful of this world.
After the artist moved to the south of France, his paintings began to appear more and more representatives of high society. You can recall such wonderful works of Dufy as “The Scene in a Boat”, 1932 or “Reception”. One of the artist’s most favorite subjects was racing. This love came to him after Biancini, the owner of the weaving factory on which Dufy worked, sent him to Duvill.
In Duvill, Dufy was to watch what the visitors of the races were wearing. But the races themselves fascinated the artist much more than the toilets of society lionesses. He opened a new, extraordinary and exciting world. Later Dufy studied with interest the people strolling along the embankments, loved to visit sailing regattas, casinos, concert halls, circuses, theaters, bullfighting and receptions.
In a word, he was attracted to where you could meet smart and cheerful people. Joy was needed by Dufy, his creativity was nourished by her. Criticism, however, believed that “paintings from the life of high society” Dufy lightweight and do not represent a special artistic value.