Cagnes

Derain’s landscape in Cagnes is formally related to the Cézanne−style concept. This is apparent in the construction of space, and the exploration of relations between volume and light. Like in Cézanne’s works, the artist deals here with the laws of form; this is a rationally compositional representation of a landscape, not an emotional reflection of it. The drawing depicts a bird’s−eye view of Cagnes−sur−Mer situated on a slope, viewed from an elevated point on the opposite side; the landscape is articulated by alternating houses and tree alleys, and the portion of landscape to the right is delimited by a silhouette of a tree in the foreground. This vertical dominant feature structures the space, giving it a sense of depth, guiding the viewer’s line of vision and establishing the first plane of the image. A reduced colour palette is also characteristic of this painting.