Fauvism and Expressionism Expressionism, a 19th and early 20th century European art movement, contrasted with the

principles of mainstream art at that time. Instead, hence the name, it stressed the expression of the artists emotions rather than accentuating the detail and texture of the painting's subject. The movement drew inspiration from Symbolism and Cubism, and was later also influenced by Fauvism, however, this particular movement started after Expressionism did. The movement started with two separate groups of German painters known as Die Bruecke and Der Blaue Reiter. Die Bruecke, or The Bridge, was based in Dresden and held together from 1905 to 1913. The artists, including Ernst Ludwig, Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, Otto Mueller, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, isolated themselves on the outskirts of Dresden, which lead them to influence each other greatly. They emerged with very similar stylistic qualities. With only a few upbeat paintings, this group of artists paintings were generally violent, dark, and emotional. They rejected the usage of conservative art galleries and instead presented their work in public during their organized traveling exhibitions. The groups deterioration in 1913 was due to artistic differences as well as the beginning of WWI. After the group separated, a remaining group of artists named themselves the Dresdener Sezession. The second group of German expressionist artists, Der Blaue Reiter, or The Blue Rider, originated in Munich in 1911 and remained together until the year 1913. Some of the artists in this group included Franz Marc, August Macke, Gabriele Munter, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Alexei Yavlensky. Its name originated from Le Cavalier Bleu, a painting by Kandinsky. Unlike Die Bruecke, this group was held together by their passion to portray emotion

and spirituality instead of their stylistic similarities. They opened the floodgates of abstraction and were credited with bringing their ideas of experimentation and originality to the art world. One famous painting of an artist from the Die Bruecke, Max Pechstein, clearly depicted the style of the Expressionism movement in Stzandese Madchen (Moritzburg). The subject of the painting is not brilliantly impressive while the emotion and intensity of the painting make the piece. The heavy brushstrokes were revolutionary in the art world. They were used to draw on the spirituality of the view, as well as evoking the same emotion in the viewer that the artist felt when painting the piece. Epressionism is not the only art movement designed to evoke emotion rather than merely impressing with detail. Another movement, known as Fauvism, started shortly after Expressionism.. As mentioned before, Fauvism influenced Expressionism and vice versa. Fauvism, a 20th century French art movement, was a short-lived era of art evolution (a mere ten years), and was based around an assorted group of modern artists. The founder of the movement was Gustave Moreau, who taught his students at Salon DAutumne to push the boundaries of art and, to think outside the lines of formality, and to follow their visions. One of his students, Henri Mattise, went on to become a major influential artist in the 20th century, but continued his ties with Fauvism. Andre Derain was another of Moreaus students, but he had different followers than his friendly rival and fellow classmate Mattise. Mattise was seen as the leader of the short-lived Fauvism movement, perhaps due to his seniority and previous success in the art world. The focus of Fauvism was in the simplification of the subject: simplified lines as well as amplified perspectives. The aim was to obtain a painting that was simple yet exaggerated, and

easy to read. Fauvism means wild beasts in French. The name fits the genre of painting like a glove, as it describes the color usage in Fauvism. Paul Gaugin, an influencial artist in the movement, said to Paul Sasier, 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. This quote catches the feeling of the movement in a nutshell. One of its most notable aspects is the bright, vibrant colors used in the paintings, as described in Gauguins quote. The idea was not to make a wide and impressive display of colors to describe the subject matter, but rather to use arbitrary but vivid and magnificent colors. An example of a Fauvist painting is Andre Derains London Bridge. Its thick, gestural paint strokes and vivid colors are reminiscent of the Fauvist style, as well as the distorted perception and thick outlines, especially on the stones of the bridge. Another painting that varies from Gauguins style but continues to follow the Fauvist manner is Paul Gauguins Vision After the Sermon. The vibrant and stressed reds carry the viewers eye through the picture, emphasizing the importance of color and the ferocity of the brushstrokes. Occasionally, Fauvism is considered a mode of Expressionism. The similarities between the two movements, which also originated at around the same time, are vast. The most outstanding similarities are quite obvious- heavy brushstrokes, distorted perception, and simplified subjects. The most notable resemblance, though, is the outstanding use of brilliant, vibrant colors. The similarities of the two are deeper than just the visual aspects. Both are based on the emphasis of emotion and movement in the pieces through the large brushstrokes and bright colors.

Although Fauvism has commonly been compared to Expressionism, and has even been considered a form of it, plenty of differences exist to prove otherwise. For one, in Fauvism, a focal point is not as encouraged as extensively as filling the entire painting with a vibrant energy. This is evidenced when comparing Andre Derains Fauvist painting, Paysage du Midi, to Expressionist Alexei Yavlenskys Shkokko in Wide-Brimmed Hat. Both images rely heavily on color and texture. They have similar brush strokes and both are appealing to the eye. The brush strokes are neither sharp nor crisp. They give a soft focus to the piece. This allows the one observing the image to feel more of a connection to the emotions of the painting rather than just feeling obligated to observe the object of the painting. On the other hand, the two images are still very contradictory to one another. Derain keeps the foreground, mid-ground, and background all vibrant, with much emotion evoked from each section of the painting. Yavlinksky, on the other hand, delivers a less brilliant piece, and keeps the emotion centered in the focal point of the painting- around the woman and her hat. Fauvism took the qualities of Expressionism and amplified them further. Although Expressionism emphasized color, it still maintained some detail and texture, while Fauvism lost many of those aspects, replacing detail with vibrant color. Fauvism also used color to accompany the forms rather than make them. Through the vast similarities between Fauvism and Expressionism, there are still differences between the French and German art movements. Though they vary, both have altered the history of art and pushed the boundaries of mainstream art. Furthermore, both movements have produced breathtaking and memorable works that are enjoyed by many to this day.