Maurice de Vlaminck: Village Seen through Trees

A village is seen through naked tree trunks that cut through the picture plane in the foreground.

Inspiration from Cézanne

The painting was created at a time when Vlaminck was keenly interested in Paul Cézanne. The composition and the dense, rhythmic brushstrokes breaking up the picture plane are based on Cézan­ne’s groundbreaking investigations into the nature of images.

Vlaminck and Derain

Many artists of the time were greatly influenced by Cézanne. The list included Vlaminck’s close friend Derain, whose canvases from 1907-10 were obviously structured with inspiration from Cézanne. Vlaminck and Derain had known each other since 1900 and pursued parallel routes through their experiments with e.g. Fauvism. Their friend­ship lasted until 1922, when Derain’s view of art had changed fundamentally, prompting a break.