Jean Dufy

The present lot was previously authenticated by Jacques Bailly, and will be accompanied by the original Certificate of Authenticity.

Provenance:
Galerie Mantelet, Paris (per label verso).
David B. Findlay Galleries, New York, New York.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, sale of November 3, 1966, lot 58.
Acquired directly from the above sale.
Private Collection, New York, New York.
Acquired directly from the above.
Sotheby's, New York, sale of December 7, 2015, lot 24.
Jacques Bailly Gallery, Paris.
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner on February, 2016.


Lot essay:
Although forever-associated with his colorful, bird's-eye views of Paris, which he captured at length whether in Montmartre, on the Île de la Cité, or along the very posh Boulevard d'Auteuil, Jean Dufy travelled extensively throughout Europe, and depicted lively panoramas of several major cities such as Stockholm, London or in this case, Venice.

The artist first travelled to the Cité des Doges in 1926. He came back a few years later, in 1928, and again towards the end of his life in the late 1950s. During his first trip, Dufy executed a series of watercolors that primarily focus on the city's architecture, which the artist rendered in a limited palette of light blues, pinks and yellows. While they mostly depict iconic buildings such as the Palazzo Ducale, the Grand Canal or Saint Mark's Square, such watercolors were not conceived as touristic imagery, but rather as fleeting, poetic visions of a city that always charmed artists, especially Dufy.

The present work is one of the very few oils Dufy completed during his first trip to Venice. Set along the Riva deli Schiavioni, the majestic waterfront near Saint Mark's Square, the scene depicts the famous, buoyant Guidecca Canal, here congested with gondoliers, sailing boats, and other passing ships. In the background, on a small island, stands San Giorgio di Maggiore and its impressive campanile. The motif is not a new one. It was in fact a favorite of many vedute painters before Dufy, such as Canaletto, Francisco Guardi, and later William Turner and Claude Monet who captured the church in various different angles, throughout centuries.

Most likely executed at sunset, the present scene relies on a dual, contrasting, tonality. On the one hand are cold, piercing blues, which are paired with warm, golden tones (ranging from yellow, to orange and red) on the other hand, thus rendering the unique, soothing light long-associated with Venice. While Dufy's watercolors of the same period are almost exclusively devoid of characters, the oil depicts an array of passers-by, city-goers and tourists all gathered alongside the waterfront to observe the parade of boats before the sun goes down. Much like actors on a stage, they become a pretext for Dufy to enliven the scene through a rapid, bold brushwork, and anchor the composition via solid touches of black, white, or close variants. The result is a flamboyant rendition of the millennial city, which, despite the looming presence of the 16th century church in the background, proves it can serve as a convincing backdrop for modernity.