Vista de Saint Paul de Vence 1910

Andre Derain made this painting, Vista de Saint Paul de Vence, sometime in the early twentieth century. Look at how he builds the scene with these chunky strokes and color blocks, not trying to trick us into thinking it’s real, but showing us his process. I love the earthiness of the painting, how the browns and greens pull you into the landscape. The paint is thick, you can almost feel the grit of the pigments, especially in the way he renders the trees framing the town. Notice how Derain uses these same earthy tones to build up the architecture, blurring the line between the natural and the constructed. My eye keeps going back to the little cluster of buildings on the hill. The way Derain stacks those geometric shapes makes the town feel solid and dreamlike. It reminds me a bit of Cezanne’s landscapes, but with a bit more…dare I say…joie de vivre! It’s like Derain is winking at us, saying, “Hey, let’s build a world together, one brushstroke at a time.”