View of the Thames

1904

Decision to Devote Himself Entirely to Painting

After his service ended, Matisse persuaded Derain's parents to let their son abandon an engineering career and devote himself entirely to painting; Derain then enrolled at the Académie Julian.

autumn 1905

Salon d'Automne 1905: The Birth of Fauvism

Together with Matisse he showed his groundbreaking paintings at the Salon d'Automne; for their riot of unnatural color the critic Louis Vauxcelles mockingly dubbed the artists "les Fauves" ("wild beasts"), giving Fauvism its name.

summer 1905

Summer with Matisse in Collioure

He spent the whole summer of 1905 working alongside Matisse in the Mediterranean village of Collioure, where he completed the painting Mountains at Collioure.

1906

Meets Pablo Picasso

He met Pablo Picasso and came under the influence of Cubism; Derain burned many paintings of this period several years later.

March 1906

Trip to London Commissioned by Vollard

The dealer Ambroise Vollard sent Derain to London to paint a series of views of the city; in 30 canvases of the Thames and Tower Bridge he created an image of London radically different from those of Whistler and Monet. These works remain among the artist's most popular.

1907

Kahnweiler Buys His Entire Studio; Move to Montmartre

The dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler purchased the entire contents of Derain's studio, giving him financial stability; the artist experimented with stone sculpture and moved to Montmartre, closer to Picasso and other artists.