VLAMINCK, MAURICE DE

born April 4, 1876, Paris, France died Oct. 11, 1958, Rueil-la-Gadelire French painter whose experiments with pure, intense colour drawn straight from the tube and applied in thick daubs earned him a charter association with the Fauves. Vlaminck was noted for his brash temperament as well as his flair for painting landscapes. His interest in art dated from 1895, with lessons in drawing and study of the Impressionists, and in 1899 he began sharing a studio with Andr Derain, who had been a friend from childhood. Vlaminck was also at various times a musician, actor, cyclist, and novelist. In 1901 Vlaminck was overwhelmed by an exhibition of the art of Vincent van Gogh, whose works became a new influence; he also met Henri Matisse and first exhibited at the Salon des Indpendants, Paris. Though his work remained representational, its freer use of colour was moving in the innovative direction of Fauvism. In 1905 he participated in the controversial group show at the Salon d'Automne, when the term Fauve was first applied to canvases of bold colour, applied in a spontaneous and impulsive manner. By 1908, however, he had turned to painting landscapes of thickly applied grays, whites, and deep blues. His style moved closer to that of the final development of Paul Czanne, and he gained a more solidly based sense of composition. About 1915 he began to achieve a personal, strongly stated, and thoroughly French Expressionist style.