The Port of Douarnenez (Translation)
Le Port de Douarnenez (Primary Title)
André Derain, French, 1880 - 1954 (Artist)
Like Matisse and Vlaminck, Derain's early artistic career was marked by the influence of earlier Post-Impressionist painters. In 1904, after a period of military service, his art began to demonstrate his interest in the chromatic experiments developed by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. Sharing common artistic aims, Derain and Matisse began painting together around this time, combining separate tones according to an idea about the optical effects these would create. Derain used his brush to outline emotionally charged scenes in a broad spectrum of colors without concern for realism or naturalistic effects.
This view of the small seaside town of Douarnenez is a late work from Derain's career. It is an idyllic hymn to the Breton coast once celebrated in works by Post-Impressionist artists from the Pont-Aven School. The harmonious arrangement of motifs created by simple applications of minimally varying tones testifies to the force of Gauguin's enduring influence well into the first half of the 20th century.
“André Derain,” Wildenstein & Co., London, 1957, No. 62
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