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The Wild Beasts “Les Fauves”

The Wild Beasts (Les Fauves in French) were a group of early 20th century artists including Henri Matisse, Paul Gaugin, and André Derain who believed that color should be used to express emotion. The name “les fauves” (French for “the wild beasts”) was coined by the critic Louis Vauxcelles when he saw the work of Henri Matisse and André Derain in an exhibition, the Salon d’Automne in Paris, in 1905. The paintings Derain and Matisse exhibited were the result of a summer spent working together in Collioure. Other artists associated with Fauvism included Robert Deborne, Albert Marquet, Charles Camoin, Bela Czobel, Louis Valtat, Jean Puy, Maurice de Vlaminck, Georges Rouault, Jean Metzinger, Kees van Dongen, and Georges Braque (subsequently Picasso’s partner in Cubism).

The most known “Wild Beasts” are Henri Matisse and Paul Gaugin. Henri Matisse was a French artist, painter, draftsman, sculptor, and printmaker. He was born on December 31, 1869, in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France, and died on November 3, 1954, in Nice, France. Matisse is known for his use of color, and his work is regarded as responsible for laying the foundation for modern art. He was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, whose stylistic innovations (along with those of Pablo Picasso) fundamentally altered the course of modern art and affected the art of several generations of younger painters. Initially trained as a lawyer, Matisse developed an interest in art only at age twenty-one. In 1891, he moved to Paris to study art and followed the traditional nineteenth-century academic path, first at the Académie Julian (winter 1891–92, under the conservative William-Adolphe Bouguereau), and then at the École des Beaux-Arts. In the summer of 1904, while visiting his artist friend Paul Signac at Saint-Tropez, a small fishing village in Provence, Matisse began to paint in a revolutionary new style that would become known as Fauvism. Matisse’s early work showed the influence of an older generation of his compatriots: Édouard Manet and Paul Cézanne. Matisse’s spiritual Gesamtkunstwerk and attested to his lifelong belief in the value of art as a means of transcending the difficulties of life.

Some of Matisse‘s most famous paintings include:

  • Dance (1910)
  • The Joy of Life – Le bonheur de vivre (1906)
  • The Red Studio (1911)
  • Blue Nude (1907)
  • Bathers by a River (1917)
  • The Open Window
  • The Fall of Icarus
  • Goldfish
  • The Green Stripe (Portrait of Madame Matisse)
  • Woman with a Hat
  • Odalisque with a Tambourine

These paintings are renowned masterpieces of the influential French artist Henri Matisse. Henri Matisse’s first renowned work of art is considered to be “Woman with a Hat” (Femme au chapeau), which was first exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1905. The painting was at the center of the controversy that led to the christening of the first modern art movement of the twentieth century – Fauvism. The painting depicts Matisse’s wife, Amélie, in an elaborate outfit with classic attributes of the French bourgeoisie: a gloved arm holding a fan and an elaborate hat perched atop her head. The painting’s vibrant hues are purely expressive, and the color of the dress Madame Matisse was actually wearing when she posed for the portrait is unknown. The painting was purchased soon after its initial showing by the expatriate Stein family (Michael, Sarah, Leo, and Gertrude), who were among the first to recognize Matisse’s genius.

Henri Matisse’s Blue Nudes is a series of four lithographs of nude female figures made using his cut-out technique in blue painted paper. The Blue Nudes exemplify the last stage of Matisse’s life and the culmination of his lifelong artistic quest. The figures show influences of Matisse’s interest in African and specifically Tahitian sculpture, which he collected during his travels. Matisse chose the color blue to represent volume and distance, and despite the flatness of the paper, he creates a sense of relief in the cut-outs by overlapping the shapes. Blue Nude I is thought to be reminiscent of his 1909 sculpture, La Serpentine. The Blue Nudes reflect Matisse’s earlier sculptures in their tangible, relief-like quality, especially the sense of volume created by the overlapping of the cut-outs. The Blue Nudes series is significant in Matisse’s career because it was created during his last productive years, after he had undergone surgery for stomach cancer. The series is a testament to Matisse’s artistic genius and his ability to continue creating despite his physical limitations

Paul Gauguin was a French Post-Impressionist painter, printmaker, and sculptor who sought to achieve a “primitive” expression of spiritual and emotional states in his work. Gauguin was born on June 7, 1848, in Paris, France, to journalist Clovis Gauguin and half-Peruvian Aline Maria Chazal. Gauguin was initially schooled in Impressionism but broke away from its fascination with the everyday world to pioneer a new style of painting broadly referred to as Symbolism. He was a financially successful stockbroker and self-taught amateur artist when he began collecting works by the Impressionists in the 1870s. His naturally pugilistic temperament led to a deep reverence for Degas’ artistic dignity and tact. It was Gauguin’s healthiest, longest-lasting friendship, spanning his entire artistic career until his death. Gauguin died on May 8, 1903, in Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.

Paul Gauguin created highly original masterpieces in a wide range of styles during his relatively short art career. Here are some of his most famous paintings:

  • Tahitian Landscape (1892)
  • Arearea (1892)
  • We Shall Not Go To Market Today (1892)
  • The Yellow Christ (1889)
  • Vision After the Sermon (1888)
  • Self-Portrait with Halo and Snake (1889)
  • The Painter of Sunflowers (1888)
  • Where Do We Come From? (1897)
  • Spirit of the Dead Watching (1892)
  • Manao Tupapau (The Spirit of the Dead Keeps Watch) (1892)
  • Nevermore (1897)
  • Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary) (1891)

These paintings showcase Gauguin’s unique style and his fascination with the exotic, particularly the culture and people of Tahiti. They also demonstrate his experimentation with color and form, and his interest in Symbolism and Primitivism.

Fauvism lasted from around 1904 until 1910. By 1908, a revived interest in Paul Cézanne’s vision of the order and structure of nature had led many Fauvists to reject the turbulent emotionalism of Fauvism in favor of the logic of Cubism. Fauvism’s demise can also be attributed to a renewal of interest in Cézanne. A Cézanne exhibition held in Paris in 1907 revived interest in his work and led many artists to move away from Fauvism. Despite its relatively short lifespan, Fauvism was a crucial moment in the development of Western Modernism. The Fauves’ unbridled use of rich color and simplified forms influenced future modes of abstraction and paved the way for Cubism and Expressionism.