André Derain is best known for his contributions to the developments of Fauvism and Cubism, two avant-garde movements from the beginning of the 20th century. Derain was born on June 17, 1880 in Chatou, just outside of Paris. He began his training by attending painting classes under French symbolist, Eugène Carrière at the Académie Carriere (1898-1899). While at school, he befriended Henri Matisse, and in 1900, he met Maurice de Vlaminck, with whom he later shared a studio. The three often painted together, and were instrumental figures in each other’s artistic development.

Derain spent the summer of 1905 with Matisse in Collioure, a small village in the South of France. This was a pivotal period for the artist: he explored techniques of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism and produced paintings such as Mountains at Collioure (1905) and Boats of Collioure (1905). These landscapes assimilated an impressionist subject with a divisionist technique, and the bold color palettes of Van Gogh and Gauguin.

Derain showed many of his new paintings at the 1905 exhibition Salon d’Automne (Autumn Salon). After seeing the show the art critic Louis Vauxcelle called Derain, Matisse and others from their circle ‘Fauves’ (‘wild beasts’ in French), thus marking the establishment of Fauvism. The name ‘Fauve’ reflected a mixed impression; it recognized the vibrancy and unrestrained energy of their paintings but also expressed a sense of shock and apprehension. Source: Wikiart.