The artwork titled “Funeral” was created by the artist André Derain in 1899 using the medium of oil on canvas. This painting falls under the Post-Impressionist movement, and it is a genre painting. The dimensions of the piece are 45.7 x 35.5 cm.
In describing the artwork, “Funeral” by André Derain depicts a scene on a street where a funeral procession appears to be taking place. The palette is subdued with dark tones, possibly to reflect the somber mood of the event. The painting shows a mixture of architecture and figures: a church or cathedral with pointed arches dominates the background, while in the foreground, a multitude of people are painted in a loose, abstract manner, suggestive rather than detailed, which is characteristic of Post-Impressionism. The buildings are represented with quick brushstrokes, emphasizing the forms and structures rather than the fine details. Shadows and light are used to create a sense of depth and to draw the viewer’s eye toward the central part of the composition, where the main activity of the funeral is concentrated. Despite the lack of precise detail, there is a dynamic sense of movement conveyed through the positioning and direction of the figures.
