Landscape 1930

Andre Derain laid down this "Landscape" with oils, and it's got this determined, architectural feel. There’s a real sense of geometry here, a simplification into blocks of color. It feels like he's not just looking at the landscape, but figuring out how to build it on the canvas. The paint is applied in these confident, straightforward strokes. The way he's handled the light, it’s not about capturing a fleeting moment, but more about constructing a lasting impression. Check out the wall in the foreground, a row of rounded rectangles in contrasting white and green, like a single line of bold text setting the stage. There's something very deliberate and solid about how each block of paint is placed. It reminds me a little of Cezanne, who also tried to find the architecture underlying everything he saw. But Derain is pushing it further, towards something more abstract, more… Fauvist. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s the world, but also here’s how I see it, simplified and strong."