Le séchage des voiles (The Drying Sails)

André Derain's Le séchage des voiles (The Drying Sails, 1905) is an oil on canvas painting depicting several sailboats with white sails drying along a curved harbor in a lively coastal village. The composition is filled with loose, vibrant brushstrokes and bold color contrasts, especially in the sails, water reflections, buildings, and figures engaged in daily waterfront activities. The scene captures a bustling and colorful moment by the sea, emphasizing light and form with Fauvist expression.​

Artistic and Social Context

Painted during the Fauvist movement, Le séchage des voiles reflects Derain's exploration of vivid, non-naturalistic colors and dynamic brushwork to evoke emotional intensity over realism. Created in 1905 and exhibited at the influential Salon d'Automne in Paris, it exemplifies Derain's engagement with bright palettes and simplification of forms inspired by Cézanne and Matisse. The Mediterranean coastal setting aligns with early 20th-century interest in modern leisure and vibrant southern light, locations shared with his Fauvist colleagues, while Derain was navigating the avant-garde art scene.​

Interpretation and Meaning

Le séchage des voiles celebrates harmony between human activity and nature at a harbor, where sails flutter in the breeze and figures move about in rhythm with the landscape. The energetic brushstrokes and saturated colors suggest vitality and joy, emphasizing the fleeting effects of sunlight on water and fabric. The scene can be read as an homage to the fisherfolk’s everyday labor, rendered with Fauvist freedom to emphasize sensation and visual impact over detailed narrative.​

Size

The original painting measures 82 x 101 cm (approximately 32 x 40 inches)