Figures from a Carnival 1906

André Derain made "Figures from a Carnival" with watercolor in a private collection. You know, what grabs me about this piece is how Derain's letting the watercolor just *be* watercolor. No fussing, just laying down these juicy, transparent washes of color. It's all about the process, the immediate gesture. Check out the way he’s daubed in the red for the dress on the left – see how the brushstrokes are almost frantic, full of energy? The way the colors bleed into each other, the paper showing through—it’s like he’s chasing after the feeling of the carnival, not trying to perfectly capture it. And those black outlines? They’re so loose and playful, like he’s daring the painting to fall apart. It reminds me of the way Matisse would just slash at a canvas with color, embracing the mess and the immediacy of the moment. It’s all about capturing the fleeting joy of life, rather than getting bogged down in the details.