Portrait of Lucien Gilbert 1906

André Derain painted 'Portrait of Lucien Gilbert' with oils, using brushstrokes so bold they practically vibrate. The palette is a trip – greens, reds, yellows crashing together in a controlled kind of chaos. I get the sense that Derain was really into exploring how colours talk to each other, pushing the limits of representation. Look at the way the jacket is built up with these stabs of paint, creating texture that's almost touchable. And those hands! One is a cool fleshy pink, the other a fierce crimson, like he’s holding onto something burning. There's a tension here, a push-and-pull between the colours and forms. You see this same kind of restless energy in some of Vlaminck’s landscapes. It's like they're both chasing after something just beyond the edge of the canvas, pushing painting to its absolute limits. It's not about perfection, it's about the messy, beautiful struggle of making something new.