De Vlaminck was a french painter. He is considered one of the principal
figures in the Fauve Movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904-1908
were united in their use of intense color. Vlaminck was born in Paris of
‘bohemian’ musical parents and he in turn became an accomplished
musician.
For a time Vlaminck was a professional racing cyclist until he suffered a
bout of typhoid fever in 1896 which abruptly curtailed his sporting career.
Nevertheless he did his military service between 1896-99 and it was only in
1900, when he met the painter André Derain, that he started to take art
seriously.