LES FAUVES

Henri MATISSE

Fauvism was a style of painting developed in France at the beginning of the 20th century by Henri Matisse and André Derain.At the start of the 20th century, two young artists, Henri Matisse and André Derain formed the basis of a group of painters who enjoyed painting pictures with outrageously bold colours. The group were nicknamed 'Les Fauves' which meant 'wild beasts' in French. The title 'Les Fauves' (the wild beasts) came from a sarcastic remark by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles. Les Fauves believed that colour should be used to express the artist's feelings about a subject, rather than simply to describe what it looks like. Fauvist paintings have two main characteristics: simplified drawing and exaggerated colour. Les Fauves were a great influence on the German Expressionists.