Road through Trees

Maurice de Vlaminck 1876 - 1958

Summary

A stylised, angular landscape, comprising a pale sandy road bisecting the composition vertically, with small fields and dark green trees to left and right foreground. Straight sweeps of brushstrokes indicate the trees' foliage. Vlaminck did not start to paint until he was in his thirties, having spent many years earning his living giving music lessons. He shared a studio in Paris with Andre Derain and became known as one of 'Les Fauves' or 'Wild Beasts' whose work was characterised by its brilliant non-naturalistic colour. By the time Vlaminck painted this he had come under the influence of Cézanne. He began to paint landscapes in cool rather than hot colours and experiment with depth and space.