'André Derain', Henri Matisse

Artwork details

Artist

Henri Matisse (1869‑1954)

Title

André Derain

Date 1905

MediumOil paint on canvas

Dimensionssupport: 394 x 289 mm frame: 550 x 471 x 75 mm

Collection

Tate

Acquisition Purchased with assistance from the Knapping Fund, the Art Fund and the Contemporary Art Society and private subscribers 1954

Reference

N06241

Not on display

Display caption

Matisse and Derain painted portraits of each other while staying at the port of Collioure in the south of France. Using vivid, apparently arbitrary, colours, Matisse has captured the sensation of sunlight striking the sitter's face and casting a heavy shadow down one side. He has also tried to create a dynamic but balanced relationship between complementary colours, such as blue and orange, red and green. Complementary colours 'complete' each other: they are at their most intense when placed together. Matisse adjusted his colours to obtain the maximum intensity… (read more)

August 2004