Fauvism

Les Fauves (French for The Wild Beasts) were a short-lived and loose grouping of early Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities, and the use of deep color over the representational values retained by Impressionism. Fauvists simplified lines, made the subject of the painting easy to read, exaggerated perspectives and used brilliant but arbitrary colors. They also emphasized freshness and spontaneity over finish.

The name was given to the group by art critic Louis Vauxcelles. The painter Gustave Moreau was the movement's inspirational teacher, and a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris who pushed his students to think outside of the lines of formality and to follow their visions.The leaders of the movement, Moreau's top students, were Henri Matisse and André Derain.

Fauvism, as a movement, had no concrete theories, and was short lived (they only had three exhibitions). Matisse was seen as a leader of the movement. Among the influences of the movement were Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, both of whom had begun using colors in a brighter, more imaginative manner.

Fauvism Artists:

•    Braque, Georges
•    Camoin, Charles
•     Derain, Andre
•     Dongen, Kees van
•    Dufy, Raoul
•    Friesz, Othon
•    La Fresnaye, Roger de
•    Manguin, Henri
•    Marquet, Pierre Albert
•    Matisse, Henri
•    Rouault, Georges
•    Valtat, Louis
•    Vlaminck, Maurice de