Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
André Derain
André Derain was a French Fauvist painter known for vivid coastal and London scenes, bold contrasts of color, and later experiments with classical forms.
André Derain quick facts
Derain worked with Matisse in Collioure in 1905, painting coastal scenes in intense color before gradually adopting more restrained styles.
| Born | 1880 · Chatou, France |
|---|---|
| Died | 1954 · Garches, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Movements | Fauvism; later experiments with Cubism and classical figuration |
| Paint types | Oil Paint · Watercolor Paint · Gouache Paint |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Paper |
| Painting methods | Contrasting non-naturalistic colors, broken brushstrokes, and later controlled drawing and more restrained palettes |
| Common subjects | Mediterranean harbors, London streets and bridges, landscapes, portraits, and still lifes |
| Notable works | Fishing Boats, Collioure · Regent Street, London · The Artist in his Studio · The Black Feather Boa |
| Other practice | Book illustration, sculpture, and theater design |
Sources: The Met: Fishing Boats, Collioure, The Met: Regent Street, London, The Met: The Artist in his Studio, The Met: The Black Feather Boa, The Met: The Hillocks.
Paint types used
Derain used oil for his major Fauvist landscapes and later portraits, and combined watercolor and gouache over charcoal in works on paper.
Watercolor Paint
Watercolor paint is a water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, typically applied in transparent washes on absorbent paper.
Gouache Paint
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, drying to a matte finish that can be reactivated with water.
Surface types used
Derain painted Fauvist city and coastal views on canvas, while watercolor and gouache studies were made on paper with drawn underlayers.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support, commonly cotton or linen, used for painting and sold either raw or prepared with a compatible ground layer.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made from pressed fibers, with weight, sizing, and surface texture controlling moisture tolerance and paint behavior.
Painters similar to André Derain
Matisse worked alongside Derain in the Fauvist years, while Braque also experimented with vivid color before moving into Cubism.
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist known for vivid color, simplified forms, Fauvist painting, and the gouache-painted paper cut-outs of his later career.
Georges Braque
Georges Braque was a French painter who helped develop Cubism, combining fragmented still lifes with textured oil paint, stenciling, and paper collage.