Charing Cross Bridge

French artist André Derain painted this Charing Cross Bridge, London in 1906 during trips commissioned by dealer Ambroise Vollard. The bridge stretches across the Thames toward the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, painted in the vibrant, unblended colors of Fauvism. Derain made about 30 London paintings over three visits in 1906-07, far short of the 50 Vollard wanted.

The work shows Fauvist color at its boldest. The Thames appears in patches of blue, green, and yellow. Buildings are rendered in flat tones while the sky and water dissolve into fragmented touches recalling Neo-Impressionism. Derain developed Fauvism alongside Henri Matisse, using color for emotional impact rather than naturalistic description.

This version is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., part of the John Hay Whitney Collection. Another version hangs at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.