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    Fauvism

    Fauvism developed in France to become the first new artistic style of the 20th century.

    In contrast to the dark, vaguely disturbing nature of much fin-de-sicle, or turn-of-the-century,Symbolist art, the Fauves produced bright cheery landscapes and figure paintings, characterized bypure vivid color and bold distinctive brushwork.

    When shown at the 1905 Salon dAutomne (an exhibition organized by artists in response to theconservative policies of the official exhibitions, or salons) in Paris, the contrast to traditional art wasso striking it led critic Louis Vauxcelles to describe the artists as Les Fauves or wild beasts, andthus the name was born.

    One of several Expressionist movements to emerge in the early 20th century, Fauvism was short livedand by 1910, artists in the group had diverged toward more individual interests. Nevertheless,Fauvism remains signficant for it demonstrated modern arts ability to evoke intensely emotionalreactions through radical visual form.

    The best known Fauve artists include Henri Matisse, Andr Derain, and Maurice Vlaminck who

    pioneered its distinctive style. Their early works reveal the influence of Post-Impressionist artists,especially Neo-Impressionists like Paul Signac, whose interest in colors optical effects had led to adivisionist method of juxtaposing pure hues on canvas. The Fauves, however, lacked such scientificintent. They emphasized the expressive potential of color, employing it arbitrarily, not based on anobjects natural appearance.

    How Long Was the Movement?

    First, bear in mind that Fauvism wasn't technically a movement. It had no written guidelines or manifesto, no

    membership roster, and no exclusive group exhibitions. "Fauvism" is simply a word ofperiodizationwe use inplace of: "An assortment of painters who were loosely acquainted with one another, and experimented withcolor in roughly the same way at roughly the same time."

    That said, Fauvism was exceptionally brief. Starting with Henri Matisse (1869-1954), who workedindependently, a few artists began to explore using planes of undiluted color around the turn of the century.

    Matisse, Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958), Andr Derain (1880-1954), Albert Marquet (1875-1947) and Henri

    Manguin (1875-1949) all exhibited in the Salon d'Automme in 1903 and 1904. No one really paid attention,though, until the Salon of 1905, when all of their works were hung together in the same room.

    It would be accurate to say that the Fauves' heyday began in 1905, then. They picked up a few temporary

    devotees including Georges Braque (1882-1963), Othon Friesz (1879-1949) and Raoul Dufy (1877-1953), andwere on the public's radar for two more years through 1907. However, the Fauves had already begun to drift in

    other directions at that point, and they were stone cold done by 1908.

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    What Are the Key Characteristics of Fauvism?

    Color!

    Nothingtook precedence over color for the Fauves. Raw, pure color was not secondary to the composition, itdefined the composition. For example, if the artist painted a red sky, the rest of the landscape had to follow

    suit. To maximize the effect of a red sky, he might choose lime green buildings, yellow water, orange sand,

    and royal blue boats. He might choose other, equally vivid colors. The one thing you can count on is thatnone of the Fauves ever went with realistically-colored scenery.

    Simplified Forms

    Perhaps this goes without saying but, because the Fauves eschewed normal painting techniques to delineate

    shapes, simple forms were a necessity.

    Ordinary Subject Matter

    You may have noticed that the Fauves tended to paint landscapes or scenes of everyday life within landscapesThere is an easy explanation for this: landscapes are not fussy, they beg for large areas of color.

    Expressiveness

    Did you know that Fauvism is a type of Expressionism? Well, it is -- an early type, perhaps even the first type

    Expressionism, that pouring forth of the artist's emotions through heightened color and popping forms, is

    another word for "passion" at its most basic meaning. The Fauves were nothing if not passionate, were they?

    Influences of Fauvism

    Post Impressionismwas their primary influence, as the Fauves either knew personally or intimately knew the

    work of the Post-Impressionists. They incorporated the constructive color planes ofPaul Czanne(1839-1906),

    the Symbolism andCloisonnismofPaul Gauguin(1848-1903), and the pure, bright colors with whichVincent

    van Gogh(1853-1890) will forever remain associated.Additionally, Henri Matisse credited bothGeorges Seurat(1859-1891) and Paul Signac (1863-1935) for helping

    him discover his inner Wild Beast. Matisse painted with Signac -- a practitioner of Seurat's Pointillism -- at

    Saint-Tropez in the summer of 1904. Not only did the light of the French Riviera rock Matisse on his heels, hewas bowled over by Signac's technique in that light. Matisse worked feverishly to capture the color possibilities

    whirling in his head, making study after study and, ultimately, completingLuxe, Calme et Volupte in 1905. The

    painting was exhibited the following spring at the Salon des Independents, and we hail it now as the first true

    example of Fauvism.

    Movements Fauvism Influenced

    Fauvism had a large impact on other expressionistic movements, including its contemporary Die Brcke and the

    later Blaue Reiter. More importantly, the bold colorization of the Fauves was a formative influence on countless

    individual artists going forward: think of Max Beckmann, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, George Baselitz, or

    any of theAbstract Expressioniststo name just a few.

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    Henri Matisse,Luxe, calme et volupt, 1904, oil on canvas, 37 x 46 inches (Muse d'Orsay, Paris)

    InLuxe, calm et volupt (1904), for example, Matisse employed a pointillist style by applying paint insmall dabs and dashes. Instead of the subtle blending of complimentary colors typical of Neo-Impressionism Seurat, for example), the combination of firey oranges, yellows, greens and purple isalmost overpowering in its vibrant impact.

    Similarly, while paintings such as VlamincksThe River Seine at Chantou (1906) appear to mimic thespontaneous, active brushwork of Impressionism, the Fauves adopted a painterly approach toenhance their works emotional power, not to capture fleeting effects of color, light or atmosphere ontheir subjects. Their preference for landscapes, carefree figures and lighthearted subject matterreflects their desire to create an art that would appeal primarily to the viewers senses.

    Maurice de Vlaminck, The River Seine at Chatou, 1906, Oil on canvas, 32 1/2 x 40 1/8 in./ 82.6 x 101.9 cm (THe

    Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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    Paintings such as MatissesBonheur de Vivre (1905-06) epitomize this goal. Bright colors andundulating lines pull our eye gently through the ideallic scene, encouraging us to imagine feeling thewarmth of the sun, the cool of the grass, the soft touch of a caress, and the passion of a kiss.

    Like many modern artists, the Fauves also found inspiration in objects from Africa and other non-western cultures. Seen through a Colonialist lens, the formal distinctions of African art reflectedcurrent notions of Primitivismthe belief that, lacking the corrupting influence of Europeancivilization, non-western peoples were more in tune with the primal elements of nature.

    Henri Matisse,Bonheur de Vivre (Joy of Life), oil on canvas, 1905-06 (Barnes Foundation)

    Blue Nude (Souvenir of Biskra) of 1907 shows how Matisse combined his traditional subject of thefemale nude with the influence of primitive sources. The womans face appears mask-like in the use ofstrong outlines and harsh contrasts of light and dark, and the hard lines of her body recall the angledplanar surfaces common to African sculpture. This distorted effect, further heightened by hercontorted pose, clearly distinguishes the figure from the idealized odalisques of Ingres and painters ofthe past.

    Henri Matisse, The Blue Nude (Souvenir de Biskra), oil on canvas, 1907 (Baltimore Museum of Art)

    The Fauves interest in Primitivism reinforced their reputation as wild beasts who sought newpossibilities for art through their exploration of direct expression, impactful visual forms andinstinctual appeal.

    Text by Dr. Virginia B. Spivey

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    Fauvism

    PAUL GAUGUIN (1884-1903)

    'Vision after the Sermon', 1888 (oil on canvas)

    Fauvism has its roots in thepost-impressionistpaintings of Paul Gauguin. It was his use ofsymbolic colorthat pushed ar

    towards the style of Fauvism. Gauguin proposed that color had a symbolic vocabulary which could be used to visually translate a

    range of emotions. In 'Vision after the Sermon' where Gauguin depicts Jacob wrestling with an angel, he paints the background a

    flat red to emphasise the mood and subject of the sermon: Jacob's spiritual battle fought in a blood red field of combat. Gauguin

    believed that color had a mystical quality that could express our feelings about a subject rather than simply describe a scene. By

    breaking the established descriptive role that color had in painting, he inspired the younger artists of his day to experiment with

    new possibilities forcolor in art.

    'Les Fauves'

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    HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)

    'The Roofs of Collioure', 1905 (oil on canvas)

    At the start of the 20th century, two young artists,Henri Matisseand Andr Derain formed the basis of a group of painters who

    enjoyed painting pictures with outrageously bold colors. The group were nicknamed 'Les Fauves' which meant 'wild beasts' in

    French. Their title was coined by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles who was amused by the exaggerated color in their art. At the Salon

    d'automne of 1905 he entered a gallery where Les Fauves were exhibiting their paintings. Surprised by the contrast with a typica

    renaissance sculpture that stood in the centre of this room, he exclaimed with irony, "Donatello au mileau des fauves!" (Donatello

    in the middle of the wild beasts!). The name stuck.

    Henri Matisse and Andr Derain

    HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)

    'The Open Window, Collioure', 1905 (oil on canvas)

    In 1905, Matisse and Derain went to stay in the port of Collioure in the south of France and the Fauvist pictures that they painted

    there revolutionized attitudes towardscolor in art. The sheer joy of expression that they achieved through their liberated

    approach to color was a shot in the arm for the art of painting. In Matisse's painting, 'The Open Window, Collioure', color is used

    at its maximum intensity. The window frames, clay flower pots and masts on the yachts have all been painted in a blazing red

    These are a bold complement to the range of greens that punctuate the painting. In order to arrange the various colors of the

    work into an effective composition he creates a counterchange between the greenish wall on the left and its reflected color in the

    right hand window, with the purple wall on the right and its reflected color in the left hand window. To unify the interior/exterior

    relationship of space, the dense spectrum of colors used inside the room is echoed more sparingly in the distant view through the

    window.

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    At first glance, the apparent freedom of his style seems to deny any skill or technique, but when you begin to analyse his ef fective

    use of visual elements you start to realize that there is an instinctive sensibility at work. The key to his success in using such

    exaggerated colors was the realization that he had to simplify his drawing. He understood that if he intensified the quality of colo

    for expressive effect, he must reduce the amount of detail used in drawing the shapes and forms of the image. By applying the

    same kind of simplification and spontaneity to his drawing and brushwork, Matisse was amplifying the sense of joy that he had

    achieved through color. He wrote, "We move towards serenity through the simplification of ideas and form.......Details lessen the

    purity of lines, they harm the emotional intensity, and we choose to reject them. It is a question of learning - and perhaps

    relearning the 'handwriting' of lines. The aim of painting is not to reflect history, because this can be found in books. We have a

    higher conception. Through it, the artist expresses his inner vision."

    ANDR DERAIN (1880-1954)

    'Portrait of Henri Matisse', 1906 (oil on canvas)

    In 1906, after the success of the Salon d'Automne exhibition of the previous year, Andr Derain was commissioned by Ambroise

    Vollard, the French art dealer, to create a series of paintings about London. The subject had been previously tackled by Whistler

    and Monet who had focused on the foggy atmosphere of the industrial city. Derain's vision was a radical departure from this

    traditional view as he painted the capital in a palette more suited to a Mediterranean holiday resort. Altogether he produced thirty

    paintings in what has become a very popular series depicting many views along the Thames.

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    ANDR DERAIN (1880-1954)

    'The Pool of London', 1906 (oil on canvas)

    Derain manages to balance the expressive and descriptive qualities of color in 'The Pool of London'. He uses the conflict

    betweenwarm and cool colorsto express the noise and activity of this busy dockyard. An illusion of depth in the painting is

    created by using stronger and warmer tones in the foreground, which gradually become weaker and cooler towards the

    background. This organized arrangement of tones in a landscape is calledAerial Perspective. The drawing of the image is typically

    simplified into shapes and forms whose details can be conveyed by unmodified brushstrokes of roughly the same size. This gives

    the painting an overall unity that you would not expect in a composition of such conflicting colors.

    Fauvism and Beyond

    RAOUL DUFY (1877-1953)

    'Henley Regatta', 1933 (gouache)

    Henri Matisse and Andr Derain may be the two most important figures associated with the Fauve movement, but other great

    artists such as Maurice de Vlaminck, Albert Marquet, Georges Rouault, Raoul Dufy and thecubistGeorges Braque all contributed

    their own variations to the style.

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    ANDR DERAIN (1880-1954)

    'The Turning Road at L'Estaque', 1906 (oil on canvas)

    Fauvism was not a formal movement with a manifesto of rules and regulations. It was more an instinctive coming together ofartists who wished to express themselves by using bold colors, simplified drawing and expressive brushwork. 'Les Fauves' simply

    believed that color had a spiritual quality which linked directly to your emotions and they loved to use it at the highest possible

    pitch.

    Within a few years, Fauvist techniques were adopted and developed by the German Expressionistsand their various splinte

    groups. Fauvism was gradually subsumed into the canon of modern art, but its influence liberated the use of color for future

    generations of artists, who ultimately explored color as an abstract subject in its own right.

    Fauvism Notes

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    HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)

    'Green Stripe - Madame Matisse', 1905 (oil on canvas)

    Fauvism was a style of painting developed in France at the beginning of the 20th century by Henri Matisseand Andr

    Derain.

    The artists who painted in this style were known as 'Les Fauves'.

    The title 'Les Fauves' (the wild beasts) came from a sarcastic remark by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles.

    Les Fauves believed that color should be used to express the artist's feelings about a subject, rather than simply to

    describe what it looks like.

    Fauvist paintings have two main characteristics: simplified drawing and exaggerated color.

    Les Fauves were a great influence onGerman Expressionism.

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