ANDRÉ DERAIN | Nature morte

Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Marcel Demierre, Paris
Private Collection
Sale: Hôtel des Ventes, Enghien, 21st June 1989, lot 8
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner 

New York, Leonard Hutton Galleries, Fauves and Expressionists, 1968, no. 12, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (titled Nature morte au pichet and as dating from 1904-05)
Geneva, Galerie des Théâtres, Peintres français, 1969, no. 15
Tokyo, Seibu Galleries & Kanasawa, Ishikawa Museum, Les Fauves, 1974, no. 16, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (titled Nature morte au pot bleu and as dating from 1907)
Tokyo, Takashimaya Art Gallery (& travelling in Japan), André Derain, 1981, no. 2, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (titled Nature morte au pot bleu and as dating from 1904)

Michel Kellerman, André Derain: Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 1992, vol. I, no. 264, illustrated p. 160

The canvas is lined. There is a milky varnish preventing UV light from fully penetrating, however examination reveals one minor spot of retouching to the centre of the composition in the body of the jug. There is minor shrinkage to the pigment to the upper left quadrant. There is a small incision to the surface, approximately 3cm., running diagonally above the artist's signature. This work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted circa 1901 and characterised by its powerful exploration of light, shadow and line, the present work exemplifies an exciting moment in Derain’s artistic career in which strong bold colours were beginning to emerge and his interest in the subject of still lifes grew. This appealing composition is a fine example from Derain’s early years, when, still in his early twenties, and at the turn of the century, Derain was on the cusp of embarking on his Fauvist period. The present work, Nature morte, was most likely painted in the wake of the artist’s formative encounter with fellow artist Maurice de Vlaminck, which took place on 18th June 1900. Writing to Vlaminck that year, Derain alludes to the exciting new artistic period on the horizon, when Derain was to become one of the leading pioneers of Fauvism: ‘I am aware that the realist period has come to an end […] and that painting is only just beginning’ (quoted in Georges Hilaire, Derain, Geneva, 1959, p. 66, translated from the French).

In these early years, Derain was enrolled at the Académie Camillo in the Cour du Vieux-Colombier where he was taught by Eugène Carrière, and where Henri Matisse also enrolled for a time. Derain had many important influential friendships during his artistic career, and he shared a studio with Matisse and Vlaminck. This work was once owned by Ambroise Vollard, the dealer whose support was pivotal for so many artists living in Paris, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who went on to become internationally celebrated.

Within the present work, the midnight blue jug stands at the centre of the still life, drawing the viewer’s eye to the heart of the canvas through the use of chiaroscuro in contrast to the light blue foreground and swathe of bold yellow pigment at the upper left of the composition. Derain here experiments with the use of line, light and shadow - techniques he would continue to experiment with over the years and which are reminiscent of Paul Cézanne’s still lifes. Indeed, the importance of light for Derain is evident in his reflection that ‘One constructs a painting with light [...] light defines the dimensions of adjacent surfaces and directs the rhythm of their relationship’ (quoted in ‘Notes d'André Derain’, in Cahiers du Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris 1980, vol. V, p. 348).