Fauvism and German Expressionism

Fauvism was a term coined after the first exhibit of the "Fauves" by critics, which meant "wild beasts" (Rewald). The reasoning for this naming is obvious and the Fauves themselves picked up on the term and took it as their own. Their paintings were a bit "wild" and free. The painting style reminds me of children's art. Not because the painting was simple or unskilled but because of the freedom in the strokes, the obvious brush strokes, the bold colors, unmixed and undiluted, and the general joy of the way the paint hit the canvas. In particular the painting Nasturtiums with the Painting "Dance" seen here: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mati/ho_1984.433.16.htm is reminiscent of a joy only children seem to know (Matisse). The obvious cheer of the nude dancers, in addition to the brilliant colors chosen and the earthy elements of the background practically yell happiness. The movement of the seen brush strokes and the thick paint on the canvas shows the boldness and confidence of the fauvism period.

The German Expressionist period started because of the turmoil in the world. The artists of this time needed a way to express their frustration, fear, disgust, anger and other feelings. They used this painting style to do so. The Dance also by Matisse seen here: http://bonniebrook.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/296568_com_thedance1910.jpg is similar to the above Fauvist painting with a few exceptions. While this painting also depicts nude dancers in an earthy background with bold, striking colors, the feeling of the painting is different. The feeling I get from this dance is a frenzied, wild and violent dance. It may still be one of joy but I feel there is a message here that is not stated with just the dancers. The two in the very front seem to have lost connection so the on the right seems to be falling as if she was not keeping up with the frenzied pace and could not be held onto. The way their bodies are contorted in different angles and how wide their steps are tells me their pace was quite fast.

These periods of art did appear to be the next logical artistic step in time. They both were temporary as if getting the artist who was painting better prepared for their next venture of artwork. These two periods led to cubism and some on to neoclassical art periods (Rewald). Works Cited

Matisse, Henri. Nasturtiums with the Painting "Dance" 1912. 1912. 12 September 2009 .

Rewald, Sabine. Fauvism. 01 October 2004. 12 September 2009 .