Color

Paysage du Midi, or Landscape of the Midi 1906 by André Derain is a great example of the use of color in art. I chose this piece because it is a perfect example of modern art using color. This piece is particularly interesting because it was painted by the Fauve artist André Derain. Derain was one of the leaders of this short movement, and is a great example for an artist who uses color quite interestingly. This piece is interesting because of his use in color. The tree trunks are not a traditional brown, they are done in red and shade of blue. The sky is done in many shades of blue and the foreground and background are done in an arrangement of many different colors. This piece is interesting to me because the color is very non-traditional when it comes to landscapes, yet the painting still looks like a landscape. It is a recognizable landscape because there are impressions of tress as well as a hill in the background and a path in the foreground. The painting has many different brush strokes which makes the painting very expressive as well. The brush strokes give the painting a sense of movement as well because they are so free-formed and varied.

Color dominated much of Derain’s early work because of his connection in the Fauve movement. Color was used very liberally and abstractly in his paintings. The color in his art shows a high altitude of emotions. Instead of actually painting movement in his paintings, the interaction of colors shows a great sense of movement because of how they interact with the eye. In Paysage du Midi, complementary colors are used to give a great sense of contrast. Because of the shades of color used, the colors give a great sense of time and space. The bright colors suggest that it is a bright, sunny day because of the lack of shadows within the solid blocks of color. Also by using colors out of context, Derain is providing an interesting composition and interesting shapes. Derain includes warm tones (yellow, red and orange), as well as cool tones (green and blue) to create a conflicting color palate to great an interesting composition. Other elements in art also play a big role in the painting. Color being the most dominant element is not the only one present in the painting. Lines in the painting give the painting a sense of depth and movement. The lines are free form making the shapes of the landscape organic. By varying the brushstrokes and the size of the brushstrokes, Derain is creating a great sense of knowledge of movement and depth. The lines in the painting give a great sense of implied line because not all the values of the trees, the hill or the path are all there. It is up to the viewer to make the connections and fill in the missing lines. Texture is also very apparent in the painting because the viewer can see the brushstrokes and the thickness of paint on the canvas. This technique is very non-traditional because the brushstrokes are showing. This texture is actual texture and applied texture because in reality, the earth is textured, but the brushstrokes and thickness are representing the texture in reality. There is also a great sense of space and depth in the painting because the elements of the painting are overlapped. The viewer can tell that the large tree in the foreground is what is closest and the hill in the background is what is farther away.

Image: Sfmoma.org, Paysage du Midi, 1906, André Derain