RAOUL DUFY
Mille Feuilles printed furnishing linen, designed by Raoul Dufy for Bianchini Ferier, reproduced by Christopher Farr
I seem to have mentioned Raoul Dufy in a couple of my newsletters, so I thought it fitting to put the spotlight on him this month. Although most well known as the French Fauvist painter, Dufy (1877-1953) was also a prolific textile designer in the early 20th century, something that set him apart from his contemporaries. His bold and striking designs, often dense with florals and leaves, came to define the style that we now call Art Deco.
His style has been a huge influence on me; I designed my own pattern collection inspired by French Art Deco textiles - see it here.
It was the renowned couturier Paul Poiret who first encouraged Dufy to translate his art into textiles. Poiret was very much a patron of the arts; he even set up a small studio in 1911 called ‘La Petite Usine’ for the sole purpose of printing Dufy’s textiles. Together they produced fabrics for Poiret’s sumptuous coats, capes and dresses, such as the bold and oversized ‘La Perse’ (below).
Sonia Delaunay said “Dufy’s fabrics were like a ray of sunlight on a gloomy day; they were embraced by the fashion industry, giving it a note of fun and spontaneity that had not been seen before.”
Left: La Perse coat, a collaboration between Dufy and Poiret, 1911.
Right: Les Patineurs, pencil and gouache textile design for Bianchini-Férier, c.1917. Image courtesy of V&A.
Dufy was well placed to create a range of styles - not only was he a painter but a talented wood engraver too. Much of his inspiration was drawn from the classic Toile de Jouy style popular in the late 18th century. He created similar scenes, but engraved in wood rather than copper, which lent them a much more graphic and dynamic look.
Raoul Dufy’s textiles with La Petite Usine were so popular, that he was soon tracked down and hired by luxury silk manufacturer, Bianchini-Ferier, based in Lyon. It was a very successful partnership; over the 20 years that he worked with the firm, Dufy designed over 2,000 patterns. He had a real talent for creating “conversational” scenes within his designs, which repeated seamlessly. He would often make all the motifs the same scale - whether they were people, trees or flowers - creating an immersive vignette.
His contribution to the decorative arts is quite impressive - along with thousands of paintings and textile designs, Dufy also illustrated many books using lithography, wood engraving and etching; and designed ceramics, stage sets and murals.
“Dufy never ceased to be a simple artist, whose heart and soul are entirely devoted to his work” - Paul Poiret
La Chasse, furnishing fabric, woodblock-printed linen and cotton. Designed by Raoul Dufy for Bianchini-Ferier, Lyons, c. 1925.
Design for a textile for Bianchini-Ferier, c.1920
Fruits d'Europe block-printed furnishing fabric for Bianchini Ferier, 1912.
Image courtesy of V&A.