L'Estacade et la Plage du Havre

Painted in 1926 and held at the MuMa Museum in Le Havre—the city of Dufy's birth—this canvas depicting the Estacade (jetty) and beach of Le Havre marks a return to his hometown subject matter. Dufy spent his early career in Le Havre before leaving for Paris, and his marine subjects, with their characteristic flags, sails, and seaside crowds, represent a recurring engagement with the vibrant public life of the Normandy coast. By 1926 he had developed his fully mature style: thin, transparent paint layers over quickly drawn outlines, creating an effect of spontaneous, joyful luminosity.

Dufy's mature technique—calligraphic line drawing with separate, transparent color washes—gives this harbor scene its characteristic lightness. The Estacade's vertical structure and the beach's horizontal expanse are organized through quick, confident brushwork, with blue dominating the sky and sea while scattered figures and architectural details are indicated with swift notational marks.