Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958), Plate Decorated with Running Bird, c. 1908
© Maurice de Vlaminck, Plate Decorated with Running Bird, c. 1908.
The Fauvists’ intense colours and rapid brushstrokes are not restricted to their paintings. Several of them also worked with ceramics, such as this piece by Vlaminck.
The motif
The bird’s complementary colours –yellow/blue and red/green – and the black contour form a dynamic motif against the white enamel. The movement is accentuated by the roundness of the plate; a shape which Vlaminck uses to the full.
The use of plates and vases
Prompted by the art dealer Ambroise Vollard, Vlaminck and several other Fauvists began painting on prefabricated plates and vases for the ceramic artist André Metthey in 1906.
Fauvism, Matisse and Derain
Vlaminck belongs to the circle of artists who introduced Fauvism at the Salon d’Automne in 1905. He was associated with Henri Matisse and – especially – André Derain, whom he met in 1900 and who would be a close friend for 20 years.
Go to French Art 1900-30
