Jean Dufy probably painted this canvas at a date close to that of his Le Pont de Grenelle (see pp. 246247) around 1925-1930, as was kindly confirmed by Mr Jacques Bailly, the author of the painter’s catalogue raisonné. It is strongly possible that this is a view of the port of Le Havre. Indeed, Jean Dufy, like his brother Raoul (1877-1953), never stopped painting the harbour of his childhood, even though, throughout his career, a great variety of subjects was imposed on him. Also, unlike the view of the Bridge of Grenelle in Paris, this composition features no clearly defined human figures, as if the painter wished to concentrate on the signs of movement (or lack thereof) of the boats, whether sailboats or steamers, on an expanse of shimmering water delineated by a horizon of construction and cranes. As in other such compositions, the sky, reduced to a band at the top part of the painting, is treated in a manner very similar to a stretch of water, the painter having worked his canvas like a space without depth, punctuated by the vibration of the colours and graphic notations suggesting certain identifiable elements. This dynamic vision, preserving the spontaneity of a sketch, contrasts with compositions of the same theme and the same period, which generally underscore the rigorous organisation of the different planes; it also points to the profound difference in style and spirit between Raoul and Jean Dufy when choosing similar subjects: simplicity, construction and transparent tones prevail in Jean’s work, while Raoul delighted in often humorous juxtapositions of decorative elements, festoon-shaped waves and smoke-like vapours fusing in the sky in a palette of saturated tones.