Impressive Artwork by Andre Derain

French Fauvist artist Andre Derain was an avant-garde painter who worked together with other aspiring artists like Henri Matisse and Maurice de Vlamink. These three artists were founders of Les Fauves, an art movement using bold and unnatural colors. In 1954, the artist was hit by a car and died in Garches, Hauts-de-Seine, in Ile-de-France.

Baigneuses (Equisses) is a popular subject that emerged during the Renaissance but became increasingly more popular during the 19th century. It refers to a series of artworks depicting bathers. The artist painted several versions. These sketches often explore the human form in natural settings, emphasizing the interplay between figures and landscapes. In the painting there are indistinguishable female bathers.

Big Ben was created in 1907. It is part of a series of paintings Derain created of the London cityscape. The artist was very influenced by the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh during this phase in his career. In the painting the sun is shown in the top left corner shimmering on the water with Big Ben in the center.

Charing Cross Bridge, London was the title of one of the many paintings Derain painted during a trip to London. He was sent there to capture the city by renowned art dealer Ambroise Vollard. The artist returned with a series of Fauvism paintings considered to be some of his most celebrated artworks.

The Houses of Parliament is an artwork created between 1905 and 1906. It offers a look at Derain’s neo-Impressionist depictions of the Thames River in London. The painting was commissioned by his art dealer, Vollard, to challenge Monet’s London landscapes. Derain produced this as a bold landscape with no room for realistic representation.

Landscape Near Chatou is a very brilliantly colorful landscape that Derain painted while visiting in the south of France. This artwork depicts the landscape near Chatou, his hometown in the Yvelines Department where the artist grew up. He shows his ability at experimentation.

Mountains at Collioure is a lovely landscape painting that was completed during the summer of 1905. It depicts the mountains near the port town of Collioure in the south of France. This artwork is another prime example of the Fauvism color technique.

Nature Morte is a still life highlighting the change that was taking over Derain’s painting style. This period in his artistic career is known as his “Gothic Period,” and it was his main goal to attempt to create a new style of classical art. He had to give up this pursuit after being drafted in the military in 1914.

The Painter and his Family is a symbolic artwork that embodies the philosophy of the artist as related to art, particularly in the final decades of his life. (pictured above) During these years in his life he worked in his studio with his family nearby. In the painting, the fruit, the animals, and the family members are the symbolic representations of the idyllic life of an aging artist.

Portrait of Henri Matisse was among several versions the artist depicted of his friend and colleague. The face consists of nothing more than some green and orange paint patches.

The Table painting was created in 1911. In this artwork, the artist has disposed of the bright and vibrant colors and is experimenting with a simple subject matter that depicts a more realistic style of painting. In this he shows his inspiration coming from the artworks of the Old Masters.

The Turning Road, Estaque is an artwork that was completed at the height of the Fauvism movement and shows all the vibrant colors associated with this time. The painting depicts a scene in the town of L’Estaque in the south of France.