Vertigo of Colour: Matisse, Derain, and the Origins of Fauvism

Henri Matisse and André Derain spent the summer of 1905 in Collioure, a modest French fishing village just north of the Spanish border. Entranced by the shifting light and stunning imagery of the eastern Mediterranean, these two artists laid the groundwork for Fauvism (from the French fauves, or ‘wild beasts’). This book explores their daring experiments with colour, form, and perspective; the scandal their paintings caused when they were first exhibited; and how, despite the jeering remarks from critics, these works changed the course of French painting. Featuring over 70 paintings, watercolours and drawings produced by Matisse and Derain during their stay in the picturesque region, the book also includes English translations of 21 of their letters.