FAUVISM The Fauves were a specific group of painters who painted with a similar style.The Fauves painted spontaneously, with bold brushstrokes and vivid colors. The colors did not have to be true to nature, necessarily. They could be changed to show emotion. Two influential artists of the time were Henri Matisse and Paul Signac. Henri Matisse (1869-1954) lived in France. He started as a lawyer (reluctantly) but soon found his passion for art and left law. He sculpted and painted. He was known for being one of the Fauves. He used exaggerated emotions and color on traditional subjects such as landscapes and portraits. One painting that was met with a lot of controversy was "Blue Nude," shown here on the left. The inspiration for this painting came when a sculpture of his shattered. He used the shattered figure of the pieces as the form of the lady in the picture. Art critics said it was beastly and odd, and the painting was burned. Henri Matisse's painting "Woman with a Hat" is shown top left. It was criticized because of the unnatural colors on the woman's face. Paul Signac (1863-1935) is famous for his Pointillism. He also mentored Henri Matisse. Pointillism is a technique where small dots of primary colors are placed close together. When you stand back, it blends together into one image. This can be compared to pixels n a computer screen. Each individual pixel is a distinct color, but when viewed at a slight distance, they create an image. "Pink Cloud" is shown top right, and a zoomed in version is shown below. The style of pointillism showed what artists could do with primary colors, and how they could use optical illusions in their work.
EXPRESSIONISM Expressionism came "from within," being a reflection of the artist's feelings rather than a portrayal of a scene. Two influential Expressionist artists were Emily Carr and Edvard Munch. Emily Carr (1871-1945) was a Canadian artist. She was an eccentric person, not very well known for her art. The focus of her paining were the Native tribes near her, especially the Nuu-chah-nulth, whom she studied, painted, and learned from. Some of her best known works were of the totem poles. Her work Kitwancool is shown top left. As she got older, she suffered from heart attacks and was therefore physically unable to continue painting. She began to write autobiographies. Her first published book was titled Kiee Wyck, meaning "laughing one," which is the name the tribes gave her. Today, she is still a well-known artist and writer in Canada. Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was a Norwegian artist. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was young, leaving him and his three siblings to be raised by his father who was slightly mentally ill. However, one of his sisters dies of tuberculosis, his brother died of pneumonia, and his other sister spent most of her life in a mental institute. His suffering is shown in his early works, titled with names like "Despair" and "Melancholy." "The Scream" is shown top right. These paintings bared his emotions to the world. They became a huge success, gaining him fame as an artist. However, he still drank a lot, and he began hearing voices and suffering from paralysis. He checked himself into a private sanitarium. He later went back to painting, but none were as famous as his previous works. In 2012, "The Scream" sold for one hundred twenty million dollars, making it the most expensive art piece ever sold at auction.