The head of Derain, shown lifesize and in extreme close-up, is more vivid than any photograph could be. There is no indication of surrounding space. Vlaminck boldly outlined in black the contours of the head, hair, shoulders, and collar. Then he painted the face red, highlighting rather than modeling the facial features with strokes of vivid chrome yellow and a daring patch of green on the nose. Both eyes have blue lids, and the blue moustache spirals out to the left. Derain kept this portrait until his death in 1954.

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