Fauvism refers to a painting style that grew in popularity in the early 20th century.Fauvism is a style that encourages raw colors and bold strokes. Some standard colors in the Fauvist palette include blue, magenta, orange, and yellow.This colorful painting style flourished in France and soon became a short-lived movement. The art movement came from the French term ‘Les Fauves, ’ meaning wild beasts. French painters created the Fauve movement, and the term was coined from the word Fauves or wild beasts. The art critic Louis Vauxcelles exclaimed this word when he saw the colorful paintings of Maurice de Vlaminck, Henri Matisse, and André Derain in the art exhibition Salon d’automne in Paris. Embracing the term, Henri Matisse started Fauvism in 1905. Many artists became a part of Fauvism following its leader. It influenced modern art by separating color from its traditional descriptive role and allowing it to exist as a separate element of art. The Fauvists were conceptus towards city life just like Primitivism.Meaning Of FauvismThe aggressive use of bright colors characterized fauvist paintings. The colors were used mainly in pure form, straight from the tube to demonstrate a notation of color explosion on the canvas. The Fauve artists painted directly from nature, and their artworks were expressed with strong emotions of the subject portrayed.Henri Matisse was the leader of Fauvism. In their paintings, the French artists used vivid colors as a form of personal expression. The Fauvists wanted to redefine pure color as the form of communicating the mental space of an artist. The intense color described space and light.The movement and the artworks were inspired by the forceful brushstrokes and the bright colors used by artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. The Fauvist arts were characterized by rough and wild brushwork. The subject matter of the paintings was abstract and straightforward. They were demonstrated by basic colors.The expanding group eventually inspired artists like Georges Rouault, Othon Friesz, Georges Braque, Kees van Dongen, and Raoul Dufy in the movement. Together the artists traveled to different places and showcased their work to the public.The Fauvist movement was not long-lived. It was rather a short movement. Unlike other art movements, there was no defined manifesto of Fauvism that outlined their claims.However, Henri Matisse published a book called ‘Notes Of A Painter’ that formally shared the goals, concerns, and commitment of an individual’s instinct in producing art.Fauvism is often compared to the German art movement called German Expressionism since both movements supported vibrant colors with strong brushwork. However, the difference between the two movements is that the German expressionists depicted emotional connection to the subject while Fauvism emphasized abstract or straightforward subjects.History And Origin Of FauvismThe origin of Fauvism can be traced back to the art forms followed by Vincent Van Gogh and Seurat. It originated as an extension of post-impressionism and neo-impressionism, and these earlier movements inspired Henri Matisse to start Fauvism in the early 20th century. Matisse encouraged people to reject the traditional three-dimensional paintings and instead use flat two-dimensional canvas to make up a pictorial space. Fauvism was one of the first movements in modern art of the 20th century, and it was the stepping stone towards abstract art.Fauvism was one of the first avant-garde modernist movements invented and led by Henri Matisse and Andre Derain. The style of Fauvism became popular around 1904, and it continued beyond 1910. However, the actual movement lasted only three years, from 1905 to 1908.In 1905, the art critic Louis Vauxcelles visited the annual art exhibition of Paris, Salon d’automne and termed the artists Maurice de Vlaminck, Henri Matisse, Albert Marquet, André Derain, Robert Deborne, Kees van Dongen, Jean Puy, and Charles Camoin ‘Les Fauves’ after viewing their bold canvases.The name Fauvism arose from the French word ‘Les Fauves,’ which means wild beasts. The first Fauvist exhibition was at Salon d’automne in 1905; this marked the start of Fauvism. Following this, all the Fauve artists exhibited their paintings together at Salon des Independants in 1906. The most famous piece of this exhibition was the painting ‘Le Bonheur de Vivre (The Joy of Life)’ by Henri Matisse.The third and the final group exhibition of Fauvism took place at Salon d’Automne in 1906. French painters like Henri Matisse, Robert Delaunay, Metzinger, and Robert Antoine Pinchon exhibited their Fauvist-style paintings in this exhibition. Bold colors and brushstrokes characterized all these paintings.Fauvism became the stepping stone of many artists as it helped them bring developments in their style. Most of the imminent artists of Fauvism moved ahead of Fauvism and incorporated the styles of post-impressionism and neo-impressionism in their paintings.Georges Braque, an important Fauvist member, developed Cubism along with Pablo Picasso. Another founder member of Fauvism, Andre Derain, adopted a more conventional neoclassical style after 1908. Amidst all this, Henri Matisse stuck to his ground as he incorporated the Fauvist style of bright colors and simple shapes throughout his painting career.Important Aspects Of FauvismFauvism was not supported by the art critics of the 20th century at first. When the artwork was exhibited for the first time, it received much ridicule and criticism from the critics for putting up such vibrant paintings and the Renaissance sculptures. The critics were horrified by the flatness and eclectic style of the paintings in contrast to the sculptures exhibited alongside. The term Fauve was assigned to them as an insult, but it was embraced as the name of the revolution called Fauvism.Fauvism continued for a very short time, but it significantly impacted the future modern art movements.Fauvism focused on individual expression as it encouraged people to paint the world as they see it instead of painting the way it should be. It gave people the scope of personal expression.Colors were used to express themselves rather than as a rendering tool in Fauvism. The French painters rarely painted things in their true colors. Some of the first artists to focus wholly on simplified abstract images. They were not interested in entering the depth on canvas, breaking the stereotypes of art.The use of colors was a noticeable aspect of their art. The Fauvist French painters used bold colors and, most of the time, they were unrealistic. The colors were applied on canvas with thick brushstrokes or were directly applied from the tube.After Fauvism, Cubism founded by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso became the new abstract art style. Georges created this new style in 1908, and the two most famous paintings of Cubism include ‘Spared From The Storm’ and ‘Houses at L’Estaque.‘The most popular painting of Fauvism was ‘Green Stripe’ by Henri Matisse. It was the portrait of Matisse’s wife and was painted with solid colors, rough brush strokes, and thick black lines.Famous Artworks Of FauvismSome French painters started Fauvism in the early 20th century. Henri Matisse and Andre Derain led it. Some famous figureheads of Fauvism include Kees van Dongen, Henri Manguin, Maurice de Vlaminck, and Raoul Dufy. They created some of the iconic artworks of Fauvism exhibited in various Paris exhibitions between 1905 and 1906. Some of the popular Fauvist arts are described below.‘Green Stripe,’ a portrait of Madame Matisse, was painted by Henri Matisse in 1905. It was the most famous painting of Fauvism, painted by the leader himself. Matisse’s ‘Le Bonheur de Vivre (The Joy of Life)’ is another renowned artwork of Fauvism. This art is characterized by unnatural colors diverging from the true colors.Henri Matisse’s ‘Woman With A Hat’ also features his wife, Amelie. ‘Woman With A Hat’ was also created using bold brushstrokes and unrealistic colors. Despite facing many criticisms after its unveiling, it is considered one of the most iconic paintings of Fauvism.‘Jeu De Massacre’ by Georges Rouault was another popular art of Fauvism. Rouault was famous for combining his Fauvist art with Expressionist elements.Maurice de Vlaminck created ‘The River Seine At Chatou’ in 1906. In this painting, Vlamick used the technique of short strokes of pastor colors, probably from the tube. The broken color technique to paint water was created in ‘The River Seine At Chatou.‘‘L’Olivier Près De L’Estaque (The Olive Tree near L’Estaque)’ and ‘Charing Cross Bridge Of London’ were two popular Fauvist artworks created in 1906. ‘The Olive Tree near L’Estaque’ was created by Georges Braque and ‘Charing Cross Bridge Of London’ was painted by Andre Derain.‘The Regatta’ was painted by Raoul Dufy, a French artist highly influenced by Impressionism. He later joined Fauvism.
Fauvism refers to a painting style that grew in popularity in the early 20th century.
