Fauvism is the style of les Fauves (French for “the wild beasts”), a group of early twentieth-century artists whose works emphasized strong color. The images below are paintings by several founders of the Fauve movement. Notice how color is used for both highlight and shadow, rather than black and white making parts appear lighter or darker.
Artist Examples
Student Examples
ASSIGNMENT
Process: You will use oil pastel or acrylic paint to create a landscape in exaggerated and often strange colors.
Brown may NOT be used on the tree trunk or branches.
Green may NOT be used on the leaves.
Your paper or painting surface should have intense color (use art paper or prime canvas w/ color)
1. Take a photo of a landscape that you find inspiring. Pay close attention to the composition. Symmetrical (tree or road right in the middle of paper) is NOT good. Have parts of the composition go off the edge of the page in areas You may also use images from Creative commons:
Your photo is only a GUIDE. It will help you create some depth, guide your composition, but you’re NOT just copying the photo. You will have to simplify and alter things to make it work for this assignment. 2. Lightly sketch composition in pencil first keeping the rule of thirds in mind. Click HERE for more on the rule of thirds! 3. Remember to CREATE DEPTH. Do not just focus on a single tree. For more on creating depth, click HERE for some amazing examples of vivid landscapes inspired by country roads by artist Grant Haffner. 4. Begin adding color! Here are some photos of a drawing which documents each step in the process.