Kees van Dongen and The Corn Poppy

'The Corn Poppy' (c.1919) by Kees van Dongen; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Today I had a hard time choosing just one painting by Dutch painter Kees van Dongen, born on 26 January 1877 and died on 28 May 1968. Because there are many that I like. Van Dongen was a Fauvist painter and was involved with the German expressionist movement Die Brücke. In his first paintings he used dark tones, influenced by the work of Rembrandt. By the mid-1890s his colour palette changed and he started using brighter colours and his brushstrokes became more animated. In 1897, Van Dongen arrived in Paris where he would share a studio with Picasso. It was here in Paris that he developed into a celebrated artist. He became famous for his numerous colourful portraits of women. Some time ago I visited the wonderful exhibition 'The big eyes of Kees van Dongen' in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam and it was great to see so many paintings together. I cannot remember whether today's painting was on display but I love it. Stunning red hat and black eyes! To cheat once more, I will show you some more paintings. Because I like this one as well, and this one, and this one, and this one. I could go on and on!