This is where I will rest

No artist gives me as much pure visceral pleasure as André Derain. Firmly in the center of the Fauvist movement in France during the early 20th century, the colors and strokes Derain used in his portraits and river scenes are the most inspired and inspiring work I’ve come across. The Fauvists (“Wild Beasts”) were exceptional in both their use of brash color and manner in which they handled their generally conventional subject matter. I could explain Derain’s painting of boats in the Thames with Tower Bridge in the background, and my description would sound commonplace until one sees the bright pink sky and perspective of the vessels that evokes the experience of a vivid late afternoon while avoiding straightforward presentation.

"The Thames," 1906. André Derain. Courtesy of the Famous Artists Gallery.

Derain is simply the liveliest artist I’ve encountered. The thick patches of color he lays down energize every plane of his paintings –the background of “Charing Cross Bridge” (1906) with silhouettes of buildings in textured blues and greens, or the figures in the foreground of “The Turning Road, Lestraque” (1906) rendered in more neutral, earthy tones. Both are relatively insignificant details in the pieces, but contain no less vitality than other aspects. As someone who values attention to color above most anything else in a piece of visual art (even in regards to black and white photography or drawings), Derain demonstrates the true potential and power of such considerations. He possesses a level of energy I envy and strive for, to be as bold and confident and reckless as he.