Fauvism

By 1890 Matisse, who was to be the chef d'école of the Fauvist movement, had moved to Paris, where he shared a studio with Marquet (another of the future Fauves) right next to the River Seine. After a conventional beginning at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Matisse studied at the studio of the painter Gustave Moreau, who preferred to develop imagination in his students rather than academic imitation. As early as 1896 Matisse was preoccupied with color, and trips to the Mediterranean, the 'land of light,' encouraged him to persevere in this direction. Cézanne was another important influence, but other painters including Derain and Vlaminck were coming to share Matisse's attraction to light and color.

In 1904, Matisse encountered Pointillist painters, including Paul Signac, at St Tropez, and he employed the technique for a few months. In 1905 he discovered the work of Gauguin; Fauvism was born during the Salon d'Automne exhibition where the works of Matisse, Marquet, Derain and Vlaminck were shown, and a wry critic named them fauves, or 'wild beasts.' The Fauvist artists did not form a homogeneous school, but they all tended to use the energetic power of light and color. If power and energy are indeed at the center of their works, then in some sense the Italian Futurists may be said to have taken over from them in expressing movement, power and exhilaration, as can be seen from the paintings of Carrà, Balla, Boccioni, Severini and Russolo, which are introduced toward the end of this film. It also features works by Moreau, Maillol, Dufy and others.

Part of the series The Adventure of Modern Art