Regatta at Henley

A lively river scene fills the canvas, with rowing boats cutting through the water while flags ripple overhead and crowds of onlookers gather along the banks. Patches of blue, green, red, and yellow bring energy to the whole composition. Raoul Dufy painted this scene in 1937 using oil on linen, and it is held at the National Gallery of Art, having come to the museum through the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection. Dufy, a French artist who lived from 1877 to 1953, worked within the Fauvist movement, which embraced bold, expressive color. One detail worth lingering on is how the bright hues of the flags echo the scattered clothing of the spectators, drawing the eye across the full width of the scene and tying the crowd to the boats below.