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Still Life by the Sea by Raoul Dufy is one of those images that never dates. Our studio recreates it as a hand painted oil painting — textured, color-rich, and ready to hang as canvas wall art in a living room, study, or reception area.
Nature morte au bord de la mer, circa 1928
gouache on paper
In April 1920, Raoul Dufy signed a contract with Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, which in the following year gave the artist his first one-man show, comprised of 57 paintings and 30 watercolors, pastels and drawings.
The success of this exhibition encouraged the artist to travel to Italy in 1922. He visited Florence, Rome and Naples, and completed his tour with an extended stay in Sicily that lasted from April into the following year. He was attracted to the ruggedness of the landscape and the presence of antique ruins, which encouraged a taste for classical mythology and allegory; but most of all he was amazed by the hard, brilliant light, which seemed even more vivid than that which he had experienced during his periodic visits to Vence in the south of France.
During his trips to Vence and on his Italian journey watercolor proved to be the ideal means of quickly capturing the luminous colors he saw around him. He returned to these studies to do oil paintings of his Mediterranean subjects, and carried over into the paintings the agile calligraphic line he used in his drawings, and the freely brushed washes of color he developed his watercolors. He treated space in a flat, horizontal manner; fore, middle and backgrounds are reduced to simple zones of color on which he superimposes the details of the landscape, interior or still-life. "Divided up in this way, these paintings are like the fabrics and hangings printed on different bands of colour, free of any modulation in their shading, which Dufy was making for Bianchini-Férier at the same time. Here one can see the effect that his experiments in the field of decoration had on his painting" (D. Perez-Tibi, Dufy, New York, 1989, p. 139).
The present gouache is one of a series of works painted in 1928 which show a still-life of assorted objects with the sea as background. The pitcher is common to all of them, as well as roughly folded tablecloth. Here the artist has placed a couple of squash, and the artist's palette and brushes can be seen at lower left. The subject is reminiscent of Picasso's seaside still-lifes of the late 'teens and early twenties. However, whereas Picasso's still-lifes are invariably invested with the spatial disciplines of Cubism, Dufy's objects seem casually arranged; Dufy is more interested in his principle of "couleur-lumière", in which spatial relationships are determined solely by the interaction of color. The objects are drawn with the brush. "The move toward a dynamic art proceeded apace with an increasingly nimble hand, bolder colors and a freer treatment of his themes. Watercolors were henceforward to become his most indispensable and personal means of expression" (Guillon-Laffaille, op. cit., p. 368).
As living room wall decor, the piece pairs naturally with other fauvist wall art and with warm neutrals, timber, and soft natural light.
We use a 100% hand-painted process: stretched artist-grade canvas, layered oil pigment, and a final protective varnish. There are no inkjet prints or mechanical reproductions in this collection — just a painted still life artwork made to order.
Build a living room gallery wall around this still life oil painting, or let it stand alone as a single statement. The hand painted canvas finish keeps the still life composition looking intentional in both classic and contemporary rooms.
Whether the search term is still life oil painting, living room wall decor, or fauvist oil painting wall decor, this hand painted canvas delivers the same thing: a real painted surface, made to your chosen dimensions.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 20 X 24 in | $47.98 |
| 24 X 36 in | $77.98 |
| 30 X 40 in | $104.48 |
| 36 X 48 in | $149.48 |
| 48 X 72 in | $291.98 |
The sizes shown are the reproduction canvas sizes we paint to order. The dimensions given in a work's description refer to the original artwork and will differ from the sizes offered here. Not sure? Read the size guide or e-mail us.
Free on orders over $60; a flat $5 below that. Dispatched in 1–2 business days; 30 days to send it back. Full policy.
Every canvas is painted by hand in oils on artist-grade stretched canvas, with an extra blank border left for framing. How to care for your painting.
Measurements are on the size guide, or e-mail [email protected] and we reply within one business day.
