Fauvism

art movement · bold colors · early 1900s · France

Wild, bright colors. Fauvist artists didn't care if a face was blue or a tree was hot pink. They used super bold, pure colors straight from the tube because they wanted to show feelings and energy, not what things really looked like.

Born in France fast. Fauvism only lasted from about 1905 to 1908, which made it super short for an art movement. The artists had just three exhibitions before the style faded, but it changed modern art forever.

Messy, expressive brushstrokes. Fauvist painters didn't blend their colors smoothly like earlier artists did. Instead, they left thick, visible brush marks that showed how they felt while painting, making the artwork look energetic and alive.

Henri Matisse led the way. The two biggest names in Fauvism were Henri Matisse and André Derain. They inspired other artists to stop worrying about making things look exactly real and instead focus on color and feeling.

Freedom from reality. Impressionism, the style before Fauvism, tried to paint what light looked like in nature. Fauvist painters said no to that and instead made colors and shapes express ideas and moods.