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Born
on June 10, 1880 in Chatou, France, Andre Derain's family
initially intended for him to be an engineer. However,
he began painting at fifteen to become one of the more
prolific fauve artists. Derain's passion for art was apparent
at an early age and he even once admitted to being obsessed
with the Louvre. He met Henri Matisse early on in his
career and then Vlaminck in 1900, a meeting which many
art historians consider the birth of Fauve art.
Derain and Vlaminck were good friends and exchanged artistic
and literary ideas. They often painted together. Derain's
paintings are very ecclectic and one can trace his various
stages of experimentation. His more famous piece, La Danse,
was influenced by Gauguin as seen in Derain's use of earth
tones. Other works such as his series in London and sailboats
were more reminiscent of impressionism.
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