FAUVISM

Fauvism | ˈfəʊvɪz(ə)m | noun [mass noun]

A style of painting with vivid expressionistic and non-naturalistic use of colour that flourished in Paris from 1905 and, although short-lived, had an important influence on subsequent artists, especially the German expressionists. Matisse was regarded as the movement's leading figure.

DERIVATIVES

Fauvist noun & adjective

ORIGIN

French: Fauvisme, from fauve ‘wild beast’. The name originated from a remark of the French art critic Louis Vauxcelles at the Salon of 1905; coming across a quattrocento-style statue in the midst of works by Matisse and his associates, he is reputed to have said, ‘Donatello au milieu des fauves!’ (‘Donatello among the wild beasts’).

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

The artists, their work, their relationships, their achievements and the critical and commercial response to their work are discussed in this absorbing book by Sarah Whitfield, the first in many years to offer a reappraisal of Fauvism.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. "Street, Dresden". 1908 (reworked 1919; dated on painting 1907) - MoMA, New York.
In 2018, MoMA shared some of its collection with Australia when 200 works travelled to Melbourne for MoMA at NGV, an exclusive exhibition for the National Gallery of Victoria’s Winter Masterpieces series.