Fauvism/Expressionism (by Abi)

FAUVISM

Les Fauves was a small group of 20th Century Modern artists that are essentially known as expressionist. Some of their values carried over from Impressionism, but had some stylistic changes that set them apart. The Fauves had styles of painting that were influenced by artists such as Paul Cezanne and Paul Guaguin, and Van Gogh but began their own movement by simplifying their subject matter and using highly vibrant colors and brush marks. Their subject matter often featured landscapes that were distorted with color and simplification. The movement made by the Fauves only lasted around 3 years, from 1905-1907, which gave them time for only 3 exhibitions. In the beginning, Fauvism was subjected to mockery and abuse but eventually became respected when major art buyers began purchasing their artwork. The leaders of Fauvism were Henri Matisse and Andre Derain.

Henri Matisse. Woman with a hat, 1905. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.


Andre Derain. The Turning Road, L´Estaque (1906), The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Fauvism can also be seen as a mode of Expressionism.

EXPRESSIONISM

Expressionism is best defined as a movement in which the artist's goal is to not only depict their subject matter, but the emotions that are being felt in response to the subject matter. The artists distorted subject matter through extremely visible and vigorous brushwork and strong, vibrant colors. A good example of the use of these concepts is Franz Marc's Yellow Cow:

Yellow Cow, Franz Marc.

Here we see exaggerated colors, colors that often were probably not the actual color of the subject matter. The cow probably was not bright yellow and purple, but rather, the artist "felt" these colors while creating this work.

There are many other individuals that were linked to the Expressionist movement. A few examples are Oscar Kokoschka, Georges Rouault, Egon Schiele, and Wassily Kandinsky. These artists were turned off by the naturalism of Impressionism, but somehow were still influenced by artists such as Munch, Vincent Van Gogh, and a lot of African Art.

Georges Rouault.

Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Self-Portrait With Arm Twisting Above Head, 1910. Gouache, watercolor, charcoal, and pencil on paper, 42.5 x 29.5 cm. Private collection, Courtesy Neue Galerie New York.

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944 Transverse Line, 1923, 141 x 202 cm, Oil on canvas
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf.

The term "Expressionism" is usually linked to paintings and graphic work in Germany at the turn of the century which challenged the academic traditions, particularly through the Die Bruke and Der Blaue Reiter groups.

Die Brücke (The Bridge)

was a group of Expressionist artists named after the Bruke Museam in Berlin. Fritz Bleyl, Eich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff formed the group in Dresden in 1905. Later,Emil Nolde, Max Echstien, and Otto Mueller joined the group. Die Brucke had a major impact on Modern art in the 20th century by creating the style of Expressionism.

The group began their movement by isolating themselves in Erich Heckel's abandoned butcher shop. They described their studio as:

"that of a real bohemian, full of paintings lying all over the place, drawings, books and artist’s materials — much more like an artist’s romantic lodgings than the home of a well-organized architecture student." (wikepedia, 08.)

The group began their movement by creating "quarter hour poses " (to spark the mode of spontaneity) of nude drawings and paintings of people from the social circle, deviating from the norm of having a professional models. The group composed a manifesto (mostly Kirchner's work), which was carved on wood and asserted a new generation, "who want freedom in our work and in our lives, independence from older, established forces." (wikepedia, 08.)

Marzella (1909-10)

The group's first exhibition was held in September and October, 1906 in the showroom of K.F.M. Seifert and Co. in Dresden. The pieces focused mainly on the female nude. They made use of a technique of expressive distortion, crude, and clearly intentionally unsophisticated.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Bathers Throwing Reeds , from the portfolio Brücke V, 1909-10, woodcut complete: 7 7/8 x 11 1/2 inches (20 x 29.2 cm). Publisher: Künstlergruppe Brücke, Dresden; edition: c. 68.

Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider)

was a group of Expressionist artists from the Neue Kunstrlerverinigung Munchen in Munich, Germany. The movement caused by this group lasted from 1911-1914, not much longer than Die Bruke. The name of the group came from a painting by Kandinsky done in 1903, who was one of the founders of the group. It is thought to have come from Marc's love for horses and Kandinsky's love for the color blue. (see image below)

The Blue Rider, Kandinsky, 1903.

The group was formed after the painting, The Last Judgment done by Kandinsky was rejected from an exhibition.

Angel of the Last Judgment, Kandinsky.

Other founders of the group included Franz Marc, August Macke, Alexej Von Jawlensky, Marianne Von Werefkin, Lyonel Feininger, and Albert Bloch. The styles of each artist within the group gave their movement some variety, although they seemed to have shared a common concept that spiritual truth should be expressed within artwork. They also believed that there were spiritual and symbolic associations of color and an intuitive approach to painting. Thus we have Expressionistic styles, expressing emotion through art. Their influences came from Medieval art and primitivism, as well as the contemporary non-respresentational art that was occurring in France at the time. Their encounters with the Fauvist, Cubist, and Rayonist styles and concepts, the group moved toward abstraction.

Citations and Links:
http://www.artmovements.co.uk/fauvism.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauvism
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/marc.html
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/expressionism.html
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kokoschka.html
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kandinsky.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Br%C3%BCcke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Blaue_Reiter