Fauvisme

Fauvisme, or Fauvism, was an early 20th-century French painting movement best known for its bold, non-naturalistic use of color and expressive brushwork. It emerged circa 1904–1905 and reached a peak in 1905–1907. The label fauves (wild beasts) was coined by the critic Louis Vauxcelles at the Salon d'Automne in 1905 to describe the artists’ vivid colors and vigorous handling.

Fauvist painting prioritized color as an independent force rather than a faithful descriptor of the natural world. The artists used pure, often unmixed hues, applied in broad patches or with lively brushwork, and often flattened spaces with simplified forms. The aim was to evoke mood, emotion, and a sense of immediacy rather than to reproduce realistic appearances.

Key figures associated with the movement include Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck, Albert Marquet, Raoul Dufy, and Kees van Dongen, with some early works by Georges Braque also aligned with Fauvist experimentation. While the group was never formally organized and its style evolved rapidly, these artists shared an interest in liberating color from naturalism and in conveying expressive impact through painting technique.

Legacy and influence: Fauvism helped shift modern painting toward greater abstraction and emotional intensity. It influenced German Expressionists and contributed to a broader shift in early 20th-century art, highlighting color as a primary vehicle of artistic meaning and paving the way for subsequent movements that explored form, space, and perception.