Fauvism and German Expressionism
Post Impressionism produced rebellious artists and free thinkers. It took the current idea of art to another level but was not based on a certain, precise technique. More so, it was based on the artists themselves; Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh and Georges Seurat. These artists created and developed their own style by diving into bold and vibrant colours but also passed the limitations that Impressionism had created. They created work that would not be based on realism but would induce emotion.
What is so important about Post Impressionism is that these artists looked into their own emotions and memories to be able to connect on a deeper level to their audience, unlike previous artistic styles.
Impressionism (1807s — 1880s): A colourful style capturing time of day, focusing their search on times in nature and the effect of various weather conditions.
Post Impressionism (1886–1905): Not seen as a specific style of painting but based on artists who wanted to rebel against the limitations of Impressionism.
Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most famous painters of all time, maybe specifically known for cutting his own ear off but should be known for so much more. His emotional, vibrant and vigorous work heavily influenced Fauvism and Van Gogh himself with the artist Edward Munch influenced German Expressionism.
“The Wild Beast” (Les Faures), Henri Matisse and Andre Derain, were named after a sarcastic remark was made in their review about the artist’s paintings. Their joyous style with the use of outrageous and bold colours came to be known as Fauvism.
Matisse and Derain did a few things differently which made their name at the time very suitable. Firstly, they dove into unnatural and bold colours, aiming to bring emotion to these ‘new’ colours they were using. Secondly, they showed the emotion and expression of themselves and went against theories of what paintings were supposed to look like. Thirdly, they did also use bold brush strokes like previously, but, what they did differently is they took the paint right from the bucket itself instead of preparing it. Last but not least, their work appeared flat on the canvas, almost 2D like.
Fauvism (1905–1908): The word Fauvism was actually created as an insult. It was another rebellious act by Henri Matisse and Andre Derain who looked to emphasise different strokes, colours and texture which also went against the realistic representation of Impressionism. Fauvism then became the major influence for German Expressionism. While both Fauvism and German Expressionism stem from the use of bold colours and techniques, German expressionism broke away from depicting the actual representation of nature and looked to use a style that was charged emotionally and spiritually. As mentioned above, Van Gogh and Munch influenced German Expressionism directly, while they were using this style. They also found inspiration in German Gothic and Primitive Art. What is important to understand is that Expressionists were divided into Die Brucke (The Bridge) and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider).
Die Brucke Rottluff created an artistic community which wanted to overthrow the conservative traditions of German Art and Der Blaue Reiter created variously publications and exhibitions with the hopes to oppose the deception and the materialism of their age.
German Expressionism: Accentuated the inner feelings of artists rather than painting realistic images. Bold colours and brushstrokes were still similar but instead used simplified shapes.
It is important to remember that each artistic movement that rose sent shock waves through the artistic community.
To us right now, brighter colours and bolder brush strokes don’t really seem like anything too rebellious, but in a world where everything was more or less the same, Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Fauvism and German Expressions (as well as all of the artists creating these) broke down boundaries and created more room for future artist’s expression.
