The Raoul Dufy Cab Mystery

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A very good friend and artist from the US recently sent us this picture. Not a childs painting, it's a watercolour made in 1923 by the french 'post-impressionist' Raoul Dufy. We were intrigued immediately as cars are a rare thing in paintings. The artist works in a loving but sketchy technique. Colour and light is more important than exact shapes. Still - as a contrast - the radiator surrounding is very clear. We have a theory - only a theory - that Dufy was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the motorcar. Why we think so? He made the same painting also without the car. The building is the same, the palm tree, the waiting carriage... it's only the car which is missing.
 
We like to take things yet another step further. We have the fantasy that Dufy really loved cars. Yes we are presumptuous, but check the painting he made at the boulevard of Nice. And this one near the Casino of Nice. Three cars! They all seem to have the same blue over green colour scheme (standard for french taxis of that time?). But check that radiator! Looks like Rolls Royce. After which we return to the painting, and car, and radiator above. What to think of this cool oval?
 

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