Paris 1905-1907
The term "Wild Beasts" was coined after an art critic viewed an exhibit at the Paris Salon d’Automne in 1905 of the works of Matisse, Vlaminck, Derain, Maguin, Marquet and Puy. They all studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1895 under Moreau. As a teacher Moreau believed that all students of painting had a duty to discover their own artistic personality rather than to follow blindly rules and precepts laid down by tradition. In 1906 these artist were joined by Le Havre, Friesz, Dufy and Braque.
By the end of 1906 the novelty and excitement of Fauvism was over and many Fauvists moved on to explore other styles. It was apparent that Fauvism was not a school of painting (as Cubism was to be), but a restless search for style. It was more a spurt of energy than in the steady rhythm of sustained progress. Because it did not present a program or enforce any rules, the Fauve movement seemed minor next to Cubism, which took over the avant-garde limelight as early as 1908.
This may help to explain it’s brief life:
Fauvism owed a considerable debt to Monet, whose non-naturalist color schemes had caused such a scandal in the mid 1870’s. From dot’s to bold colored strokes, with simple compositions. Fauve paintings were fashionable and desirable works on the market during the Fauvism period. It would be safe to say that the Fauves’ heyday began in 1905 and remained on the public radar for two more years.
Matisse’s passionate conviction that new art could and should find a public singled him out as the driving force and leader of Fauvism. By 1908 the name Fauve was starting to be used as a label synonymous with “avant-garde”. Broadly speaking, Fauvism followed where Matisse and Derain led. Matisse was the leading Fauve because he was the most celebrated painter, therefore making him the most sought by critics and journalists for comment and the one who received the most attention. He was the only one of the group who never ceased to acknowledge Fauvism, even Derain, who also played a leading role in Fauvism, looked back at this period and dismissed it as “youthful brashness’.
Fauvism to Matisse came out of what he called the ‘courage to return to the purity of the means, establishing that its point of departure had been it’s beautiful blues, reds, yellows, stuff to stir the sensual depths of man’.
Raw pure color was not secondary to the composition, it defined the composition. To maximize the effect of a red sky, an artist might choose lime green buildings, yellow water, orange sand and royal blue boats. None of the Fauves ever went with realistically colored scenery. Simple forms were a necessity, preferring landscapes as they lend themselves well to large areas of color. A sky could be orange, a tree crimson red, a face any combination of clashing color.
In the opening years of the twentieth century, Post-Impressionist painters such as van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, and Cezanne were considered the leaders of avant garde art and Matisse changed direction, no longer focusing on color but aiming to create simple forms and figures.
Books: The Fauves by – Ferrier ,and Fauvism by – Sarah Whitfield and the Internet
Thank you, Carmel
Link to: Timeline Snippets
I think it's interesting to link artistic styles to world events. I have singled out some of the items that might have had an impact on the artists and, also, what was happening closer to home. I have included links to pages with more information, so you can check out other areas that draw your imagination.