Fauvism

World of Art

by Sarah Whitfield

Les Fauves (the wild beasts) was the nickname given in 1905 to a group of painters led by Henri Matisse. Today, their paintings are among the most popular of all twentieth-century art. Yet when Matisse and his friends - Derain, Vlaminck, Marquet, Dufy and Braque among them - first exhibited their work, the reaction of public and critics was astonishment and often hostility. Using strong, even strident, colors, applied in a manner deriving from Cezanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh, the Fauves took painting back to its basic principles, inspired by primitive art, popular prints and children's paintings, and paved the way to Cubism. The artists, their work, their relationships, their achievements and the critical and commercial response to their work are discussed in this absorbing book, the first in many years to offer a reappraisal of Fauvism.

"A remarkable, comprehensive achievement."—The New York Times Book Review

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, History

216 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the group nicknamed "les fauves". Whitfield shows us the early connections these artists made as students under Gustave Moreau, thru their early associations to their sort-of-cohesion as an exhibition group, then on through their development and eventual departure to their individual careers.

Well written and amply illustrated, but sadly - as is the case for the Thames and Hudson World of Art series - most of the illustrations are black and white... doubly painful since Fauvism is all about color!

This is an easy read, but I would recommend that the reader have a basic introduction to French art of the 19th century - particularly Impressionism and Post-Impressionism - to get the most out of this book.

[Karen·]

I picked this up today at the Folkwang Museum in Essen, after seeing their wonderful 'Ecstasy of Colour' exhibition: Munch, Matisse and the Expressionists.

http://www.folkwang-im-farbenrausch.d...

[Nancym · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a bit of a slow read. It covers the Fauve artists, style and critical reaction to the style. The book contains lot of illustrations.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about fauvism which was all about color! Color! Yet 98% of the photographs of the paintings are in black and white! Did that seem to be a problem for the author Sarah Whitfield or the publisher Thames and Hudson who published this book is 1991? I might also ask how this book could be rated so highly on this website- I don't get it! To learn about art you need to see it! This book no matter how well written is useless! Totally useless unless you are going to look each painting up on the internet.

[Amy in the Desert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another art book with black and white paintings instead of full color. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Monica]

I should’ve checked the publication date, and that’s on me. A book about painting wildly with colour in which 85% of the photos are in black and white is…not ideal.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great brief overview of fauvism. I picked this up after visiting Colioure in France and very much enjoyed the background to the artistic movement. Matisse and company served as a bridge between impressionism and cubism in a whirlwind few years. The shocks of color both throw off the standards of the impressionists while also being heavily influenced and arguably cribbed from the likes of Cezzane and and Van Gogh. The shift also from 'modern' artists living and often dying in obscurity also shifted in this era as the likes of Matisse and Braque began to be collected and heralded. All in all a fascinating time in art and history that is well worth a read if you are at all interested. My only criticism would be that for an artist movement definitely by use of brilliant and shocking color, it was a shame that the book only features 20 or so colored pictures out of the 100+ in the book.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up reading this after about 4 references to the importance of the colour of a painting included in book as a black and white image. Not sure who thought that was a good idea as it's clearly stated in the book that one of the key characteristics of Fauvism is colour choice. DNF

[Alex Prodrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great description of the whole art current. So vibrant and descriptive that in some paragraphs I felt I was there!

[Deanna Van Besien-Kozacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read/history of one of my favorite artist groups/movements.

[Chris Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black and white images aren't a good idea given the importance of colour here; however this is more than offset by the text which is generally very good.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a launching point for my art history analysis for Fauvism. The black and white photos, however, did not do the book justice at all; for an art movement that is all about color, they were absolutely criminal. Lots of names and dates thrown around as well. I did manage to catch on by the end at least.

"...A meditation on nature, on the expression of a dream which is always inspired by reality."

[Unbridled · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief history of the even briefer artistic movement named after the "wild beasts". One of its most fervent and passionate devotees was Maurice Vlaminck, a one-time professional cycle racer.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent introductory survey

[S. B. Freedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! just beautiful!