Landscape near Antwerp
This painting is representative of Braque’s fauvist style. He first exhibited his early fauvist works at the Salon des Indepedants in March of 1906, many of which he later destroyed in a fit of uncertainty. In June of the same year, Braque and a painter friend traveled to Antwerp. The port of Antwerp, one of the biggest ports in Europe, was similar to his home town of Le Havre. Braque thus felt comfortable enough to stay and paint during his time there, all the while still feeling as if he were somewhere new. Heavily influenced by Paul Cezanne, Braque most likely painted Landscape near Antwerp in the technique that Cezanne used most, painting and drawing at the same time. As such, there is no preliminary drawing for this painting; it was painted on the spot.
