André Derain

Maurice de Vlaminck

1906 · Oil on cardboard · Modern and Contemporary Art

The head of Derain, shown life-size and in extreme close-up, is more vivid than any photograph could be. There is no indication of surrounding space. Vlaminck boldly outlined in black the contours of the head, hair, shoulders, and collar. Then he painted the face red, highlighting rather than modeling the facial features with strokes of vivid chrome yellow and a daring patch of green on the nose. Both eyes have blue lids, and the blue moustache spirals out to the left. Derain kept this portrait until his death in 1954.

Artist

Maurice de Vlaminck

Date

1906

Medium

Oil on cardboard

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, 1998