What is Fauvism?

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What is Fauvism?
Fauvism was an art style that lasted only four years, beginning in 1905. Fauvism was a movement in French painting
that revolutionized the concept of color in modern art. The word Fauvism is french for "wild beasts". It got this name
because the paintings had bright and unusual colors. The subjects in the paintings were shown in a simple way, and
the colors and patterns were bright and wild. The leader of this movement was Henri Matisse. At the end of the
nineteenth century, Neo Impressionist painters were already using pure colors, but they applied those colors to their
canvases in small strokes. The fauves rejected the impressionist palette of soft, shimmering tones in favor of radical
new style, full of violent color and bold distortions. These painters never formed a movement in the strict sense of the
word, but for years they would nurse a shared ambition, before each went his separate and more personal way.
Main Representatives
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Henri Matisse
Paul Gauguin
Andre Derain
Raoul Dufy
Maurice de Vlaminck
Kees van Dongen
Albert Marquet
Charles Camoin
Georges Braque
Othon Friesz
Henry-Charles Manguin
Jean Puy
Objectives: Students will be able to:
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Identify and describe the painting
style of the Fauve artists.
Understand why the works of
Matisse and Derain outraged critics
and labeled them as
“wild beasts”.
Discuss the non-traditional use of
color in Fauve paintings.
Explore color mixing, and identify
emotion expressed through color.
Create a spontaneous landscape
painting representing an explosion
of color.
Paint like the Fauves!
Sketching The Composition:
Gather ideas for a landscape painting.
Make thumbnail sketches and choose
your favorite composition. A simple
outline sketch the of painting plan will be
drawn with a paint brush on mat board.
Painting: Guided Practice:
The Fauve landscape painting is our first
painting experience of the year. Spending
time to explore color mixing is important
to painting success. We will start out by
exploring several painting techniques.
After a short introduction, we are ready
to continue on your own. But remember I
am here to help, so let me know and then
I can guide you, one on one.
Materials: Acrylic Paint (or Tempera) ,
Palettes, Brushes , Water containers,
Landscapes sketches, & mat board.
“You are going to paint like the Fauves.
Have fun with color. Painting the green
grass and the sky blue would be too
ordinary. Be original in your color choice!
Be as wild as the “Wild Beasts”. Today is
your day to have fun and be free with
your choice of colors! EXPLORE!”
Have class critique. Compare and
contrast finished work to that of the
Fauves.
Art Assessment: