Stoppenbach & Delestre is pleased to present an Online viewing room based on our recent show ‘From Fauvism to Classicism throughout the career of Modern French artist, André Derain’ – the first in the UK that was dedicated to the painter for over 15 years.
The primary objective of the exhibition Was to bring Derain’s significant aesthetic research to light – examining the connection between the development of his career and the evolution of Modern Art practice in the early 20th century.
The exhibition comprehensively addresses the various stages of Derain’s career - from the early works produced in Chatou - to the refined, classical works made after his deployment in the First World War, until his death in 1954.
Accordingly, the exhibition is divided into four sections, Fauvism, ‘Cézanniste’ period, the ‘return to order’ and finally, the late compositions.
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FAUVISM
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WHEN I SAY MODERN THOUGHT, I SUPPOSE I UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY THE NATURE OF THIS THOUGHT IN RELATION TO ALL PAST AND FUTURE FORMS OF HUMAN THOUGHT. -
ANDRE DERAIN 'PAINTING AND MODERN THOUGHT' 1905
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It was in Collioure that Henri Matisse and André Derain worked together in the summer of 1905 and added a new chapter to the Fauvist movement. In a letter dated 25 June 1905, Matisse convinced Derain to meet him in the Catalan port, stating “I cannot persuade you enough that a trip there would be extremely useful for your work – you would be in the most advantageous conditions and benefit from your work done there. I am sure that if you listen to me you will like it, that is why I insist that you come.”
They worked intensely for two months, often comparing their points of view and sharing discoveries and reflections. The work of this artistic duo would become a crucial point in the Fauvist movement.
Throughout his time in Collioure, Derain painted many different perspectives of the same locations, , ultimately revealing the multifaceted feeling of the place. Matisse and Derain often worked from the same location, but seldom from the same angle. They rarely painted together but often met up in the evening to share their research.
Le port de Collioure depicts the port from the beach at Voramar, his back to the church and the castle is in view. There is a vanguard simplicity to the work due to the lack of layering - exposed areas of raw canvas are uniquely combined with pure swathes of colour to emphasize the vibrancy and heat of the summer’s day. -
'We become intoxicated with color, with words that speak of color, and with the sun that makes colors brighter'- André Derain (1905)
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André Derain
Paysage à Cassis, 1907Painted in 1907, Paysage à Cassis is a rare bold landscape from the summer André Derain spent in Cassis. It perfectly exemplifies the artist’s interest in synthesizing and simplifying his compositions while embodying the energy and vigor of the Fauve movement. Resonating with Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque’s Cubist explorations of new techniques of division, and referring to Cezanne’s organization of space, this work resolutely illustrates Derain’s versatile practice. It shows the artist interest in volumes and shapes and his relentless interest in finding harmony between forms and colours.
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Install Shots
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Having played a crucial role as a founding member of Fauvism, alongside Henri Matisse and Maurice de Vlaminck – Derain’s contribution to the movement fostered radical new ideas in Modern art, which went on to influence not only the development of Cubism and Neo-Classicism, but also artists such as Balthus and Giacometti.
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Following his revered Fauve period, Derain himself continued his unyielding pursuit of new forms in painting – enriched by his intellectual relationship with the renowned French art dealer, Paul Guillaume. Notable periods include the ‘delineated’ and ‘Cézanniste’ landscapes from 1907-10 and his return to Classical compositions towards the end of his life.
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RETURN TO ORDER
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There is a long standing cult of Derain, almost, and new initiates are always joining. And if he has been sometimes vilified, that only makes him more compelling. He touches nerves. He was at once uncompromising and capricious. He insisted on absolute artistic freedom, including the freedom to accept restrictions and recognise standards, if only to then bend the rules again, stretch and distort the paradigms -
Merlin James, 2020
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Late Compositions
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I'd like to study the drawings of kids. That's where the truth is, without a doubt - André Derain
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Works on Paper
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Publications
André Derain - From Fauvism to Classicism
