Glossary Term: Fauvism
At the turn of the century a group of artists so shocked the public with their art that they were called "wild beasts" or "fauves", in French. Fauvism flourished from 1898 to 1908. Fauvist paintings often used very bright, pure colors and short blunt brushstrokes. Fauvism differed from the Impressionism in that it was very emotional, raw, and even shocking and violent. Fauvist artist often chose colors, lines and shapes to express emotion rather than to represent the real world.

Some well-known painters of this period were Henri Matisse, Andre Derain, Georges Braque and Georges Rouault (see portrait on right).

Copyright 1998-2005 Sanford