Details

Object type

painting

Title

Blackfriars Bridge, London

Artist/Maker

Andre Derain artist

Culture/School

French

Date

1906

Materials

oil on canvas

Dimensions

unframed: 807 x 995 mm; framed: 945 x 1130 mm

Description

Derain was one of the leading members of a group of artists whose experimental, non-traditional use of colour and technique gave them the nickname ‘Fauves’, which means ‘wild beasts’ in French.

The artist’s second visit to London, made between 1905 and 1906 was intended to be short. However, the city provided a backdrop for 30 paintings by the artist, and a ten-day trip turned into a two month stay. This painting features the view from Jamaica Wharf on the south bank of the river Thames, looking over Blackfriars’s Bridge towards the dome of St Paul’s cathedral. The industrial nature of the area is indicated by the barge and the party-visible sign on the wooden wharf, which is probably referring to Wm. Lee, lime burners.

The heightened, contrasting and bright colours demonstrate that Derain was not concerned with depicting a realistic scene. His objective was to ‘present happiness, a kind of happiness which must come from within’. The way that Derain has painted the river shows a nod to Neo-Impressionism, particularly the divisionist idea of applying different colours to a canvas using small, separated strokes. The intended effect was that these strokes would mix in the viewer’s eye, rather than on the canvas.

Although Blackfriar’s Bridge is now widely regarded as a masterpiece of colour and form, at the time it was purchased by Glasgow Museums it was less popular, particularly amongst Londoners who regarded it as unrealistic. The efforts of future director T.J Honeyman helped to secure the painting for the city. Convinced of its quality, and the bargain price of £150, in 1942 Honeyman helped to persuade the Art Gallery Committee to purchase the work through the art dealer A.J McNeill Reid.

Credit Line/Donor

Purchased from Messrs Alex. Reid & Lefevre, 1942

ID Number

2283

Location

Kelvingrove French Art Gallery