Fauvism (Click on images for a larger view)
Between 1901 and 1906, several comprehensive exhibitions were held in Paris, making the work of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Paul Cézanne widely accessible for the first time. These painters gave other artists an acceptance to experiment with radical new styles. Fauvism was the first movement of this modern period, in which color ruled supreme.

The Fauvists believed absolutely in color as an emotional force. Their work was so rough and clumsy compared to other work of the time that one art critic compared the paintings to work 'aux fauves' (or 'of the wild beasts'). This is how the Fauves' got their name.

 

Matisse(GreenStripe)1905.jpg (165166 bytes)
Henri Matisse, Green Stripe, 1905.

FranzMarc(BlueHorse1)1911.jpg (64018 bytes)
Franz Marc, The Blue Horse, 1911.
Well-Known Fauvists Include:

Henri Matisse
Franz Marc
Andre Derain
Maurice de Vlaminck

 

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Matisse, Portrait of Derain, 1908.
"Instead of trying to render what I see before me, I use color in a completely arbitrary way to express myself powerfully."

Vincent Van Gogh, Post-Impressionist