Fauvism ( FOH-viz-əm) is an art movement and painting style that originated in France during the early 20th century. It characterized the work of les Fauves (French pronunciation: [lefov], the wild beasts), a collective of modern artists whose creations prioritized expressive painterly qualities and vibrant coloration, diverging from the representational or realistic tenets of Impressionism. Although the stylistic elements of Fauvism appeared around 1904 and persisted past 1910, the organized movement itself was brief, spanning 1905–1908, and featured three exhibitions. André Derain and Henri Matisse were recognized as the movement's principal figures.
Key Artists and Stylistic Characteristics
In addition to Matisse and Derain, the group comprised artists such as Robert Deborne, Albert Marquet, Charles Camoin, Bela Czobel, Louis Valtat, Jean Puy, Maurice de Vlaminck, Henri Manguin, Raoul Dufy, Othon Friesz, Adolphe Wansart, Georges Rouault, Jean Metzinger, Kees van Dongen, Émilie Charmy, and Georges Braque (who later collaborated with Picasso in the development of Cubism).
Fauvist paintings were distinguished by their seemingly unrestrained brushwork and intense, often discordant, colors, coupled with a significant degree of simplification and abstraction in their subject matter. Stylistically, Fauvism represents an advanced evolution of Van Gogh's Post-Impressionism, integrated with the pointillist techniques of Seurat and other Neo-Impressionist artists, notably Paul Signac. Additional significant influences included Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin; the latter's use of saturated color fields, particularly evident in his Tahitian works, profoundly impacted Derain's artistic output in Collioure during 1905. In 1888, Gauguin famously advised Paul Sérusier: "How do you see these trees? They are yellow. So, put in yellow; this shadow, rather blue, paint it with pure ultramarine; these red leaves? Put in vermilion." Fauvism shares parallels with Expressionism, particularly in its deployment of unadulterated color and uninhibited brushwork. Notably, several Fauvist artists were pioneers among the avant-garde in collecting and analyzing African and Oceanic art, as well as other non-Western and folk art forms, a pursuit that contributed to the subsequent emergence of Cubism among some members.
Historical Origins
Gustave Moreau, a contentious professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and a Symbolist painter, served as an inspirational mentor for the movement. He instructed Matisse, Marquet, Manguin, Rouault, and Camoin throughout the 1890s, and critics initially regarded him as the group's philosophical progenitor until Matisse assumed this role in 1904. Moreau's progressive outlook, innovative spirit, and endorsement of pure color's expressive power profoundly inspired his students. Matisse famously remarked about Moreau, "He did not set us on the right roads, but off the roads. He disturbed our complacency." Moreau's death in 1898 removed this foundational source of artistic guidance, prompting the artists to seek alternative catalysts for their evolving styles.
In 1896, an then-unrecognized art student, Matisse, visited the painter John Russell on Belle Île, an island situated off the coast of Brittany. Russell, an Impressionist painter, exposed Matisse to the style directly for the first time. Matisse was initially so overwhelmed by this aesthetic that he departed after ten days, declaring, "I couldn't stand it any more." However, he returned the following year to study under Russell, subsequently abandoning his subdued, earth-toned palette in favor of vibrant Impressionist hues. He later affirmed, "Russell was my teacher, and Russell explained color theory to me." Notably, Russell had maintained a close friendship with Vincent van Gogh and presented Matisse with a drawing by Van Gogh.
In 1901, Maurice de Vlaminck first encountered Van Gogh's oeuvre at an exhibition, subsequently proclaiming a greater affinity for Van Gogh than for his own father. This experience prompted him to begin applying paint directly from the tube onto the canvas. Concurrently with their engagement with contemporary avant-garde art, the artists developed an appreciation for pre-Renaissance French art, which was highlighted in the 1904 exhibition, French Primitives. African sculpture constituted another significant aesthetic influence, with Vlaminck, Derain, and Matisse being among its earliest collectors.
Many defining characteristics of Fauvism first coalesced in Matisse's painting, Luxe, Calme et Volupté ("Luxury, Calm and Pleasure"), executed during the summer of 1904 in Saint-Tropez, where he was accompanied by Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross.
While Cézanne and Degas drew inspiration from the visual experience of railway travel, the Fauves were influenced by the novel motorized perception derived from automobile driving. For instance, Matisse created landscapes in 1917 and 1925, adopting the viewpoint of a driver. Derain frequently acquired new Bugatti vehicles, and Vlaminck, who owned a sports car, provided a detailed account of the visual sensations of driving at 110 kilometers per hour in his 1929 autobiographical novel, Dangerous Corner.
Salon d’Automne 1905
Following an exhibition of boldly colored canvases by Henri Matisse, André Derain, Albert Marquet, Maurice de Vlaminck, Kees van Dongen, Charles Camoin, Robert Deborne, and Jean Puy at the 1905 Salon d'Automne, critic Louis Vauxcelles pejoratively labeled the artists as "fauves" (wild beasts). This designation subsequently became the name of their artistic movement, Fauvism. The 1905 Salon d’Automne marked the group's inaugural collective exhibition. The appellation originated from Vauxcelles's commentary on their display, specifically his phrase "Donatello chez les fauves" ("Donatello among the wild beasts"), which juxtaposed their 'orgy of pure tones' with a Renaissance-inspired sculpture by Albert Marque exhibited in the same space.
Although Henri Rousseau was not a Fauve, his expansive jungle depiction, The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, displayed in proximity to Matisse's art, might have contributed to the pejorative term's adoption. Vauxcelles's critique appeared in the daily newspaper Gil Blas on October 17, 1905, subsequently entering common parlance. While the exhibited works drew significant condemnation—with critic Camille Mauclair (1872–1945) famously declaring, "A pot of paint has been flung in the face of the public"—they also garnered some positive recognition. Matisse's Woman with a Hat became a particular target for criticism; however, its acquisition by Gertrude and Leo Stein significantly boosted Matisse's morale, which had been affected by the negative reception of his art. Earlier in the spring of 1905, Matisse's Neo-Impressionist landscape, Luxe, Calme et Volupté, had been presented at the Salon des Indépendants.
Salon des Indépendants 1906
Subsequent to the 1905 Salon d'Automne, which initiated Fauvism, the 1906 Salon des Indépendants represented the first occasion for all Fauvist artists to exhibit collectively. The exhibition's central work was Matisse's monumental painting, Le Bonheur de Vivre (The Joy of Life). Critics expressed dismay at its perceived flatness, vibrant coloration, eclectic stylistic elements, and varied techniques. Its triangular composition bears a strong resemblance to Paul Cézanne's Bathers, a series that would later influence Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
Matisse, Signac, and Metzinger were among the elected members of the hanging committee.
Salon d'Automne 1906
The Fauves' third collective exhibition took place at the Salon d'Automne of 1906, spanning from October 6 to November 15. Metzinger presented his Fauvist/Divisionist work, Portrait of M. Robert Delaunay (catalogue no. 1191), while Robert Delaunay displayed his painting, L'homme à la tulipe (Portrait of M. Jean Metzinger) (catalogue no. 420). Matisse's contributions included Liseuse, two still lifes (Tapis rouge and à la statuette), a floral piece, and a landscape (catalogue nos. 1171–1175). Robert Antoine Pinchon presented his Fauvist-style painting, Prairies inondées (Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, près de Rouen) (catalogue no. 1367), currently housed at the Musée de Louviers, characterized by golden yellows, vibrant blues, substantial impasto, and broad brushstrokes.
Paul Cézanne, who passed away on October 22 during the exhibition, had ten works on display. These included Maison dans les arbres (catalogue no. 323), Portrait de Femme (catalogue no. 235), and Le Chemin tournant (catalogue no. 326). Van Dongen presented three pieces: Montmartre (492), Mademoiselle Léda (493), and Parisienne (494). André Derain contributed eight works, including Westminster-Londres (438), Arbres dans un chemin creux (444), and five paintings created in l'Estaque. Other contributors included Camoin with five works, Dufy with seven, Friesz with four, Manguin with six, Marquet with eight, Puy with ten, Valtat with ten, and Vlaminck with seven.
Gallery
Art history
- Art history
- History of painting
- Neo-Fauvism
- Visual arts
- Western Painting
- Expressionism
Notes and References
Gerdts, William H. (1997). The Color of Modernism: The American Fauves. New York: Hollis Taggart Galleries. Archived from the original on 2017-05-27. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
- Gerdts, William H. (1997). The Color of Modernism: The American Fauves. New York: Hollis Taggart Galleries. Archived from the original on 2017-05-27. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
- Whitfield, Sarah (1991). Fauvism. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-20227-3.Art Critique+, AICA Japan, 27 October 2024.
- Fauve Painting from the Permanent Collection at the National Gallery of Art
- Rewald, Sabine. Fauvism. In Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2004)
- Gelett Burgess, "The Wild Men of Paris: Matisse, Picasso and Les Fauves", Architectural Record, 1910