MAURICE DE VLAMINCK (1876-1958)
La Pointe du Raz / Beg ar Raz (72m - 236 ft)
France
In La pointe du Raz, Bretagne, 1950, huile sur toile, 54.5 x 65.1 cm, Private collection - Christie's
The site
Pointe du Raz / Beg ar Raz (72m - 236 ft) is a promontory that extends into the Atlantic from western Brittany, in France. It is the western point of the commune of Plogoff, Finistère, France.
It is named after the Raz de Sein, the dangerous stretch of water between it and the island of Sein (Enez Sun in Breton). It is a dramatic place of crashing waves and strong winds. The word raz was borrowed from Norman by the Bretons and shares the same etymology as the English word race, "strong current of water"; both are from Old Norse rás. It also marks the western end of the 3,200 km E5 European long distance path to Verona in Italy.
The "La Vieille" lighthouse can be clearly seen from the headland.
Pointe du Raz / Beg ar Raz (72m - 236 ft) is a promontory that extends into the Atlantic from western Brittany, in France. It is the western point of the commune of Plogoff, Finistère, France.
It is named after the Raz de Sein, the dangerous stretch of water between it and the island of Sein (Enez Sun in Breton). It is a dramatic place of crashing waves and strong winds. The word raz was borrowed from Norman by the Bretons and shares the same etymology as the English word race, "strong current of water"; both are from Old Norse rás. It also marks the western end of the 3,200 km E5 European long distance path to Verona in Italy.
The "La Vieille" lighthouse can be clearly seen from the headland.
Maurice de Vlaminck was a French painter. Along with André Derain and Henri Matisse he is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 were united in their use of intense colour. Vlaminck was one of the Fauves at the controversial Salon d'Automne exhibition of 1905.
Two of Vlaminck's groundbreaking paintings, Sur le zinc (At the Bar) and L'homme a la pipe (Man Smoking a Pipe) were painted in 1900.
In his landscape paintings, his approach was similar. He ignored the details, with the landscape becoming a mere excuse to express mood through violent colour and brushwork. An example is Sous bois, painted in 1904. The following year, he began to experiment with "deconstruction," turning the physical world into dabs and streaks of colour that convey a sense of motion. His paintings Le Pont de Chatou (The Chatou Bridge), Les Ramasseurs de pommes de terre (The Potato Pickers), La Seine à Chatou (The River Seine at Chatou) and Le Verger (The Orchard) exemplify this trend.
Vlaminck's compositions show familiarity with the Impressionists, several of whom had painted in the same area in the 1870s and 1880s. After visiting a Van Gogh exhibit, he declared that he "loved Van Gogh that day more than my own father".
Vlaminck's compositions show familiarity with the Impressionists, several of whom had painted in the same area in the 1870s and 1880s. After visiting a Van Gogh exhibit, he declared that he "loved Van Gogh that day more than my own father".
From 1908 his palette grew more monochromatic, and the predominant influence was that of Cézanne. His later work displayed a dark palette, punctuated by heavy strokes of contrasting white paint.
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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
