Painting reproduction on canvas of the artwork
The Soldiers’ Ball at Suresnes (Derain)

“The Soldiers’ Ball at Suresnes”, painted around 1903, is an early work by André Derain that already foreshadows the liberation of color found in Fauvism. The scene depicts soldiers in uniform dancing with a woman in a popular ballroom atmosphere. Derain uses bright, contrasting colors, particularly the brilliant red of the soldiers’ trousers, which immediately catches the eye. The forms are simplified and outlined in black, a technique that enhances the expressive power of the composition. Far from academicism, this painting reflects the artist’s interest in scenes of modern life and his search for a new, more direct, and raw pictorial language, capturing the energy and atmosphere of a lived moment.