The picture was painted at Collioure, a small sea town in the south of France, and is also known under the name Fishing Boats. The artist's liberated manner is seen in the bright colours and freely applied brushstrokes that leave patches of priming and canvas uncovered. The painting was shown at the famous Fauvist exhibition in the 1905 Salon d'Automne and acquired by Ivan Morozov shortly afterwards.

 

André Derain had a major role in the development of two of the most significant artistic movements of the early-20th century. He, Henri Matisse, and Maurice de Vlaminck were responsible for generating works with a totally new style which would become Fauvism and his association with Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque was integral to early Cubism.

 

Nevertheless, his contribution as the generator of the ideas behind these movements is constantly debated, and some consider his work derivative. This is due in part to the fact that, continually in search of artistic meaning and attempting to create a timeless art removed from the specificity of the modern age, he experimented with different stylistic idioms.

 

Whichever side of the Derain debate you end up on, we can all appreciate his use of expressive vibrant color, his simplification of form, and his fascination with primitive art were constants throughout his work and played a major role in the creation and propagation of early Modern Art.