Description of the picture:
Portrait of Henri Matisse – Andre Derain. Canvas, oil. 46.5 x 34 cm
The painting “Portrait of Henri Matisse”, whose artist Andre Derain, was created in 1905. Both Andre Derain and Henri Matisse were artists as well as good buddies. The writing style of this picture is Fauvism. The main techniques of this direction are the generalization of forms, space and the drawing itself.
Looking at this picture, it seems that it is made of plasticine, there is a certain relief on it, but nevertheless, these are illusions. The presence of a dark blue shadow on the face creates the effect of monumentality. The variety of colors in this picture is amazing. We can say that the artist expressed on the canvas all the possible variations of shades, ranging from bright orange to dark blue. The picture has a small number of lines, which are inherent in the direction of Fauvism.
Henri Matisse’s face is painted in purple and white, there are quite noticeable strokes of orange and pink colors. You can also notice the shape of the glasses that are worn on the nose. The beard looks massive, but at the same time airy and weightless. Almost in the center of the picture, an impressive smoking pipe is depicted. Red and honey-yellow colors echo on it. The background of this picture is somewhat reminiscent of a blurry forest in late summer. Green represents the foliage of trees, yellow shows grass that has dried out due to intense heat.
This work of art was written under the close supervision of Henri Matisse himself, as he was one of the leaders of the Fauvist movement. And we can say that Andre Derain studied with his friend. According to the author himself, he was very impressed with such an experience."