Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) is best known for his colorful depictions of social events and leisure activities at racecourses, regattas, and the coastal beaches of France. Beginning his career as a Fauve painter, Dufy developed a delicate and whimsical style that translated well to book illustrations, fabrics, ceramics, murals and textiles. His later work was marked by his creative collaborations with textile and ceramic designers, as well as fashion designers. Particularly accomplished in his works on paper, Dufy's unique style is marked by his greatly simplified, even skeletal figures, his foreshortened perspective, and the use of thin washes of color applied quickly.