Fauvism

We explain what Fauvism is and what its characteristics are. Also, its origin, representatives and notable works.

What is fauvism?

Fauvism or fovism was a artistic movement that emerged in France between 1904 and 1908. It was also the pictorial style typical of this movement, characterized by a bold palette of non-naturalistic colors, thick brushstrokes and intense expressiveness.

fauvism is part of the so-called avant-garde historical movements, which were disruptive artistic movements that emerged in Europe and dominated the art scene during the first half of the 20th century. Fauvism had many elements in common with other trends of its time, such as German Expressionism: a disruptive technique, a break with tradition and a new way of thinking about painting.

fauvism developed a daring and casual aesthetic, which omitted chiaroscuro and perspectives. Furthermore, he opted for the brilliance of colors and the expression of feelings through a spontaneous, vigorous style, which contradicted the classical norm of representing the world.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954), André Derain (1880-1954) and Maurice Vlaminck (1876-1958) are considered founders and greatest exponents of Fauvism. The relationship of these artists as a group was short: they approached their paths around 1904 and already in 1908 they began to have individual explorations that led to the dissolution of the movement.

The German philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Max Stirner (1806-1856) were very influential for Fauvism for questioning the prevailing morality and emphasizing expressive freedom, the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) for his interest in subjectivity and sensory exploration, and Eugène Carrière (1849-1906) and Gustave Moreau (1826-1898), for his symbolist painting. Another influential figure for the movement was the French painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906).

Origin and history of fauvism

Fauvism emerged in France between 1904 and 1908 and had as its founding event the exhibition of the Salon d'Automne in the Grand Palace of Paris (October 18 to November 25, 1905), where works by the first Fauves were exhibited. The pieces disconcerted the critics of the time, who found themselves with art that they did not know how to classify.

On October 17, 1905, the critic Louis Vauxcelles (1870-1943) published in the newspaper Gil Blas a review of the exhibition in which he compared the pure tones of the paintings on display with the stalking of wild beasts (fauves) which served to baptize the new artistic movement. The Fauves, however, never identified themselves with that name.

Among the works presented at the exhibition was Luxury, calm and voluptuousness, by Henri Matisse, a work considered the artistic manifesto of Fauvism for its contrasting colors, its expressive force and its hedonistic spirit (that is, based on pleasure), traits that influenced and inspired other artists.

At the time, the painting generated a scandal among critics, since it violated all the compositional conventions of the time, because it even left parts of the canvas uncovered. That is why Matisse is considered the leader and one of the founding fathers of the movement, along with André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck.

Despite having emerged in the Parisian context, Fauvism was also successful outside France and shared with German Expressionism its devotion to reflecting the artist's inner and emotional world (rather than representing his external reality). There were Fauvist painters also in Belgium and Holland.

Around 1908 the current lost strength and most of its artists moved towards other avant-garde movements. For many of them, Fauvism was a stage of experimentation and opening towards new forms of expression such as cubism, expressionism and even Art Deco.

Characteristics of fauvism

In general terms, Fauvism was characterized by these features:

• He was influenced by impressionism and early post-impressionism. Like all the pictorial currents of the early avant-garde, Fauvism was inspired by the disruptive spirit of the Impressionists and was greatly influenced by Vincent Van Gogh (1852-1890), Eugène Carrière and Gustave Moreau.
• Their colors were pure and bright. In Fauvist paintings, color was applied with spontaneous brushstrokes and simple shapes, sometimes directly from the tube, with drips of paint and regions where the canvas was exposed. I was looking for finishes that were more expressive than precise.
• He tried to express the emotional world of the artist. Fauvism emphasized subjectivity and appealed to the internal emotional world. It broke with the traditional intention of representing reality objectively.
• He took a first step towards abstraction. Fauvism was the pioneer of a series of avant-garde movements that sought to break with a centuries-old pictorial tradition based on mimesis (that is, the imitation of reality).
• He broke with academicism. The Fauves completely abandoned the obligation to imitate reality and also the techniques that classical art used to achieve this (for example, chiaroscuro and linear perspective), as well as idealized representations of beauty. Instead, they made room for spontaneity and individual expression.
• He became interested in 19th century color theory. The Fauves became interested in the color theories of the 1850s (which had greatly influenced the Impressionists) and experimented with a wide range of chromatic possibilities and different color combinations to achieve expressive effects.
• It was more than a pictorial proposal. The technique most used by the Fauves was oil painting, but they also explored other possibilities of expression with watercolor, pastel, engraving, sculpture, ceramics and other techniques.
• His themes ranged between urban representations and the rural world. In Fauvism there are nudes, still lifes, outdoor scenes or landscapes. For the Fauves, the subject of the painting was less important than the emotions it expressed and transmitted.
• It was fleeting, but very decisive. Despite its short duration as a current (it lasted about four years, from 1904 to 1908), Fauvism opened an aesthetic and philosophical path that illuminated almost all of the art of the 20th century and, in a certain way, continues to do so.

Most of its painters later embraced other very important artistic styles, as happened, for example, with Georges Braque (1882-1963) and cubism.

Main works and artists of Fauvism

The most notable Fauvist works and their authors are:

• Henri Matisse (1869-1954). Considered the father of Fauvism, he was noted for his bold use of color and simplification of forms.
  Works: The green stripe (1905), The joy of living (1906), The red room (1908).
• André Derain (1880-1954). He was a co-founder of Fauvism with Matisse, and later explored other styles.
  Works: Charing Cross Bridge (1906), View of Collioure (1905), Portrait of Matisse (1905).
• Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958). He is known for his spontaneous and emotional style. He experimented with techniques such as the palette knife and thick paint.
  Works: The Seine River at Chatou (1906), The girl from the “dead rat” cafeteria (1906), Potato pickers (1908).
• Georges Braque (1882-1963). During his Fauvist period, between 1905 and 1907, he experienced a radical break with the traditional representation of space and form.
  Works: Three large trees, landscape of L'Estaque (1906), The house behind the trees (1907).
• Raoul Dufy (1877-1953). Known for his cheerful and colorful style, he applied Fauvism to various techniques, including watercolor and engraving.
  Works: The Bunting Yacht (1905), The Stockade at Le Havre (1906), Signs in Trouville (1906).
• Georges Rouault (1871-1958). Unlike other Fauves, Rouault incorporated dark themes and expressive figures into his work, often with a religious undertone.
  Works: Killing (1905), The clown (1907).

References

• Elderfield, J., & Díaz, J. (1993). fauvism. Alliance.
• Fauvism | MoMA. (2024.). The Museum of Modern Art. https://www.moma.org/
• Musée D'Orsay (2024). https://www.musee-orsay.fr/