Fauvism was a French avant-garde movement that gained recognition at the start of

the twentieth century. A vibrant style of painting, artists use vivid colors sometimes
by applying paint directly from their paint tubes.
This wasnt as radical as graffiti or paint-bomb painting but pretty radical for back
then when any deviation from the traditional was often scrutinized or not
immediately welcomed.
In a nutshell the fauvism style kept the drawing simple and exaggerated colors.
The credit for establishing fauvism goes to Henri Matisse and Andre Derain who
broke away from the traditional impressionist methods and experimented with
exaggerated colors. The spontaneous and subjective responses to the subjects in
the artworks were expressed through bold brushstrokes and vibrant colors. Initially
perceived to be gaudy and obscene, this wild approach was the inspiration behind
naming themselves le fauves which means wild beast in French.
The story goes that the 1905 Salon d Automne an exhibition for young artists in
Paris, Matisse and Derains paintings evoked an amusing response from an art critic.
Upon seeing the young artists vibrant artworks surrounding a Renaissance
sculpture. The critic remarks that a Donatello was standing in the middle of wild
beasts. The name was adapted by the artists who were inspired by this technique
which made Matisse the king of the wild beasts.
Fauves were also inspired by post-impressionist artists in their symbolic and
descriptive use of colors in creating new possibilities in art. Van Gogh used color to
express emotion powerfully and Gauguins use of colors as a tool for spiritual
expression inspired Fauves to adopt a freer and spontaneous technique. However,
Matisse said he did not choose colors based on scientific theory like postimpressionist bust on feeling, observation and the nature of each experience.
Also Fauve artists shifted away from urban themes and returned to impressionist
subjects like bourgeoisie leisure and country landscapes.
In order to produce a unified effect despite loud contrasting colors Fauve artists
simplified their drawing style and included pure details.
Among paintings of the first Fauve exhibition was Matisses famous Woman With a
Hat, a portrait of his wife. The pairs of complementray colors on her face, hat and
different parts of the painting delivered an expressive view of the woman. It was
criticized by spectators. One critic was particularly saying that a pot of paint had
been flung in the face of the public. Well-known American art collector and art critic
Leo Stein whose sister had incidentally bought the painting called the painting the
nastiest smear of paint he had ever seen. Despite many criticisms, woman with a
hat came to be an important and notable example of fauvism.
The Salon d Automne ended up being a hit. The young artists thought of it as an
exciting and thought provoking technique. In the same year, Matisse and Derain
created several fauvist artworks in the South of France. Inspired by the beautiful

vistas of the sea, yachts, the sky and surrounding they used colors liberally to
create bold complements.
Matisses open window collieure does not imitate the seen before him but rather
expresses how he conceives the scene in his mind. Maximizing the intensity of
colors in the painting are color pairs: orange masts rising from blue holes, red
blossoms from potted balcony plants juxtaposed against green foliage and opposing
turquoise and pink reflections on either wall behind the window. The beauty of the
painting also lies in the illusion of depth and the volume it creates. If you blink and
reassess the painting the actual scene before you disappear and you see an overall
decorative pattern of colors.
In 1906, the buzz around Fauvism encouraged French art dealer Ambroise Vollard to
commission Andre Derain to create paintings depicting London, a subject that
Monet had previously featured. While Monet pictured a more somber picture of
Londons foggy weather and industrial environment, Derain spiced things up by
painting London as a Mediterranean holiday destination.
Important fauves other than Matisse and Derain include Vlaminck, Barque, Louis
Volton, Charles Camoirie. Vlaminck was a supporter of anarchy and a bicycle racer.
He once compared his paintings yo throwing a bomb. This explosion of colors is
evident in Tugboat at the sand Chateau, his painting of the river at Chateu Northern
France. In 1907, Braque experimented with greater structure and geometry in his
fauvist artwork, evident in harbor.
Fauvism was not at orderly movement but a loosely shaped group with a similar
approach. Perhaps, it was this lack of manifesto an formal association that explains
why the movement lasted only a few years.
By 1908, fauves moved on to experiment on other styles including Derain and
Braque who played parts in the development of Cubism. The Fauves
experimentation with color theory played an important inspiration for German
expressionists who would downplay the color in their art. Fauvism brought the
possibilities of art in the forefront and continues to be regarded as an important
period in art history.