Chatou sous la pluie

Chatou sous la pluie dates from a significant period in André Derain’s career. One of the founding figures of Fauvism and a key contributor to the development of early 20th-century modern art, he was born in Chatou, France, where the present work was painted. Derain studied at the Académie Carrière in Paris, where he met Henri Matisse and Maurice de Vlaminck—artists who together ignited a radical movement that shocked the art world with its wild colors and liberated brushwork.
Alongside Matisse, Derain made his Fauvist works first known to the public at the 1905 Salon d’Automne. These works were characterized by their vibrant palettes and energetic application of paint, marking a bold break from traditional representation.
Painted circa 1901, Chatou sous la pluie is an early example of the artist’s shift towards Fauvism. Here, a palette of grey-blues, earthy reds and vibrant greens contrasts with the dark browns and blacks of the tree in the foreground and silhouetted figures at center. These unnaturalistic tones and the painting’s free brushwork prefigure the electric palette and lively strokes that would come to define fauvism.