Fauvism in painting: features of the new current

The beginning of the XX century was marked by the appearance in painting of a new artistic trend - Fauvism. The first works in this style appeared in the last years of the XIX century. The name of the line came from the French word "fauve", which means "wild animal". But the more established version of the translation was the word "wild", which is associated with representatives of this trend. For the first time such a characteristic was used by the well-known critic Louis Vauxel concerning the works of several young artists, whose paintings were presented in 1905 at the Autumn Salon.

In addition to paintings in the cabin was a statue, made in the style of the Italian Renaissance. Seeing her surrounded by unusual works, the critic said that the figure is similar to Donatello among wild animals. It so happened that the representatives of the new direction began to be called the Fauvists.

Fauvism in painting

The creations of innovators made a sensation among the visitors of the Salon, because they were radically different from the already existing styles. Unconventional approach to art and a special view of the world stirred up society: against the background of Fauvism even impressionism began to seem rational and more familiar, traditional.

Fauvism in painting differed from other trends: artists working in this direction did not have any common aesthetic program. Their canvases are, rather, a way to affirm their subjective vision of the world, using for this the simplest outlines and forms. The narrowness of the compositional decisions, the negation of the linear perspective, the primitivization of the depicted - all this combined artists such as Henri Matisse, Maurice Marino, Andre Derain, Georges Braque, Georges Rouault, Othon Freese, Albert Marquet and others.

Representatives of Fauvism in painting, although they adhered to similar principles in the work, differed in their outlook. Andre Derain was more rational; Henri Matisse is dreamy; Georges Rouault expressed images with a special tragedy and grotesqueness. Such contrast differences caused the Fauves to be united for a short time (the union disbanded in 1908). Then their paths parted, and each of the artists found himself in a closer in spirit and perception styles, while changing methods of work and creative principles.

Features of the new current

The activities of the Fauves, despite the short period of existence of the combined group of its representatives, had a significant impact on the development of European painting. The confusion of the most significant achievements of that time, the borrowing of various techniques from different styles made this trend special and well recognizable. Fauvism in painting became a kind of crucible that mixed the techniques of Japanese color engraving, Post-Impressionist methods and even medieval artists. The goal of the Fauves was to maximize the use of color, which was the litmus paper of the creator's mood. Most often the preference was given to bright tones, which in contrast played with natural natural colors, emphasizing and exacerbating them. Thanks to this approach, the pictures were characterized by tension and extraordinary expression.

Matisse and his vision of painting

For some artists who decided to embody in their work a mixture of different styles, the goal was fauvism in painting. Matisse - one of the most prominent representatives of this trend, was not only its founder, but also a man who made a significant contribution to the development of the direction.

In particular, he first resorted to seemingly shocking methods: for example, Matisse thought it appropriate to portray a woman with a green nose, if it gave a picture of extravagance and piquancy. He argued that it depicts not a woman, but a picture, so the color scheme can be what an artist wants to see it. Inspired by the works of outstanding impressionists (in particular, Van Gogh and Gauguin), Matisse created bright, juicy work in rich tones.

The artist's original technique is particularly clearly visible in the paintings "View of the Collioure", "The Lady in the Hat".

In them he strove to emphasize the fundamental principles of the new trend, namely expressing the feelings caused by what he saw, but not tied to the colors of the surrounding, but embodied on the canvas by those shades that are close in spirit to the creator. This represented Matisse fauvism in painting. The pictures of the famous avant-gardist were criticized more than once, one of them - "Blue Nude" - was even burned at the International Exhibition of Contemporary Art in 1913, held in Chicago.

The influence of Fauvism on European painting

Fauvism in the painting of European artists played a huge role in the further development of the fine arts, giving impetus to the expression on the canvas in the original manner of the artist's feelings, their visions of the surrounding world. Humanity has once again expanded the horizons of the worldview thanks to the innovation of the Fauves.