fauvism

fauvism [Fr. fauve =wild beast], name derisively hurled at and cheerfully adopted by a group of French painters, including Matisse, Rouault, Derain, Vlaminck, Friesz, Marquet, van Dongen, Braque, and Dufy. Although fauvism was a short-lived movement (1905-8), its influence was international and basic to the evolution of 20th-century art. It was essentially an expressionist style, characterized by bold distortion of forms and exuberant color. Only Matisse continued to explore its possibilities after 1908. Most of the others contributed to the development of new styles, such as cubism , which immediately followed the fauvist movement.

Bibliography: See J. P. Crespelle, The Fauves (tr. 1962); J. É. Muller, Fauvism (1967); S. Whitfield, Fauvism (1990).

fauvism Expressionist style based on extremely vivid non-naturalistic colours. Matisse was the leading figure and, with Signac and André Derain, exhibited at the Salon d'Automne (1905). A critic described their work as something produced by wild animals (Fr. fauves). Other members included Albert Marquet, George Rouault, Vlaminck, and Braque. Although fauvism was short-lived, its influence on expressionism was profound.