Fauvism and the
Still Life:
It’s all about COLOR
Visual Art I
Who were the Fauves?
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Fauvism was a French art movement, led
by Henri Matisse, spanning from 18691954.
Fauves is French for “Wild Beasts”. This
name was used because the artists used
intense, almost violent colors in an
unnatural way.
Influences
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In the early 1900s there were several major
exhibitions in Paris of Post Impressionist artwork.
These included the works of Paul Gauguin,
Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Cezanne and were
radically different from previous work displayed.
They had loose brush strokes and bright, free use
of color. These exhibitions inspired many artists
who were looking to liberate their own style.
Paul Gauguin- Breton Peasant Women 1894
Post-Impressionist work that might
have influenced the Fauves
Vincent van Gogh - Village Street in Auvers
1890
Post-Impressionist work that might
have influenced the Fauves
Paul Cezanne- Table, Napkin, and Fruit
1895-1900
Post-Impressionist work that might
have influenced the Fauves
“Wild Beasts”
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The Fauves took the free use of color even
further by using arbitrary and unnatural
colors. They might paint a sky bright red or
a person’s face green.
Complementary or Analogous color
schemes were often used.
Colors were chosen for expressive
purposes, not based on realism.
Complimentary Colors: Colors that are across
from each other on the color wheel.
What are the 3 Primary Colors and their 3
Complimentary Colors?
Analogous Colors: are groups of colors that
are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
Analogous Colors are the range of colors that
fall between two primary colors.
Example: Yellow Yellow-Orange Orange
Red-OrangeRed
Other Fauves Include
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Maurice de Vlaminck
Kees van Dongen
Andre Derain
Raoul Dufy
Henri Matisse
The Red Studio - 1911
Green Stripe - 1905
Maurice de Vlaminck
The River Seine at Chatou
Tugboat on the Seine, Chatou - 1906
Kees van Dongen
Andre Derain
Raoul Dufy
Representational
versus Realistic
What do you think
‘REPRESENTATIONAL’
means in art?
Characteristics of Fauvist Artwork
1. Painters used VIVID COLORS in their paintings
2. Colors were used to express FEELINGS &
EMOTIONS
3. When painting, the artists did not blend or mix the
paints
4. Their subject matter was REPRESENTATIONAL but
did not necessarily look completely REALISTIC.
5. Fauvist Artists painted using SIMPLE & sometimes
‘Blocky’ Shapes
6. Their BRUSH STROKES were LOOSE &
REPETITIVE and often created patterns within the
artwork
The Still Life in Art
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A picture of inanimate objects. Common still life subjects
include vessels, food, flowers, books, clothing.
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A still life painting which reminds us of life's fleeting qualities
is called a vanitas.
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This genre flourished particularly among Dutch painters of
the seventeenth century.
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The plural form is "still lifes."
Still life definition from ARTLEX.COM
Fauvist Style Still Lifes