a comparative analysis of louis durey and francis poulenc's settings ...

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d. Raoul Dufy (1877-1953)
Raoul Dufy was born in Le Havre, France, on June 3, 1877. His was one of nine
children in his family. His father owned a metal business and was an amateur musician.
He had a great impact on his children’s love of music and the arts. Unfortunately, the
Dufy family was poor, so Raoul could not attend concerts as often as his peers. He,
however, did not miss the Sunday Colonne concerts, concerts featuring modern music of
the time, and, in fact would often “go without supper for the luxury of those two hours of
music.” 31
Dufy’s artistic talent was apparent at an early age, but he had to find a way to help
support his family rather than taking art classes. He worked for a coffee-importing firm at
the age of fourteen and at the age of fifteen was able to enroll at the Municipal School of
Fine Arts taught by Charles Lhuillier. 32 He took classes at night so that he could continue
to work during the day. Dufy became quite skillful and, in fact, became determined to
“change hands” and learn how to draw with his left hand. He became so skilled that he
was noted to have been able to paint two different subjects simultaneously, one with each
hand! 33
In 1900, Dufy was awarded a grant to study at the renowned Ecole des Beaux-
Arts in Paris. He studied there for four years, although he grew impatient with the
teaching philosophy to “perfect the system” and produce art to please the whole. 34 After
completing his four years, Dufy began to attend exhibits of contemporary art. He found
that he resonated with the likes of Monet, Pissarro, and Raffaëlli and began sketching
31 Jacques Lassaigne, Dufy: Biographical and Critical Studies (Geneva: Skira, 1954), 15.
32 Dora Pérez-Tibi. "Dufy, Raoul." In Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online,
http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T023961 (accessed November 29, 2010).
33 Lassaigne, Dufy, 16.
34 Lassaigne, Dufy, 17.