The Port of Collioure 1905

Andre Derain painted The Port of Collioure using oil on canvas at some point in his career. The thing I notice right away is the colour, it is so vibrant, but also so simplified. It's like he's got a basic set of primaries and he's just going for it. The thing that's kind of amazing is how Derain takes these simple marks and colors and manages to create a sense of depth and space. Look at the way he uses those red masts to create a kind of rhythm, almost like musical bars, that pull you back into the picture. I find myself wondering what kind of brush he used to make those marks. They're so confident, so direct, but they also have this lovely looseness to them. It's like he's not trying to be too precious about it, he's just letting the paint do its thing, which is something I admire in a painter. It reminds me a little bit of Matisse, who was a contemporary of Derain. They were both exploring this idea of using color in a really expressive way, but Derain's got this slightly more raw, edgy feel to it.