Maurice de Vlaminck
Born – Paris, France 1876
Died – La Tourilliére, France 1958
The son of Flemish parents, Maurice de Vlaminck was an athlete and enthusiastic individual who took part in cycle races and earned his living mainly as a musician. He taught himself to draw and paint and was proud of the fact that he had never set foot in the Louvre. His friendship with André Derain dates from about 1900. They shared a studio together in Chatou, near Paris. Vlaminck was very impressed by the 1901 van Gogh retrospective in Paris and adopted the Dutch-born artist’s use of strong colours and turbulent brushstrokes. He took part in the Fauves exhibition of 1905 at the Salon d’Automne. Painting was, for Vlaminck, a spontaneous, passionate and physical act. His belief that, “instinct is the foundation of art”, meant that intense colour, often applied direct from the tube, predominates in his mainly landscape compositions. Landscape with Red Trees distorts basic perspective, the vertical trunks of the trees adding excitement and expression to the overall composition. His later works, showing the influence of Cézanne, are more subdued in colour. After serving in the First World War, he lived and worked in virtual isolation in rural France.
Masterpieces:
- The River
- Summer Landscape
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About maurice de vlaminck
Maurice De Vlaminck
Maurice De Vlaminck
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Maurice Vlaminck: Portfolio (The Library of Great Painters. Portfolio Edition)
Alfred Werner
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Maurice De Vlaminck (Pocket Library of Great Art)
Robert Rey
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