19th May 2012 9:00
By Jessica King
Compare and contrast the subjects and genres of two or three movements that materialised in the same historical context.
Both expressionism, a movement with largely German origins, and fauvinism, which emerged in France, were strongly influenced by the style and social context of impressionism. Although they defined themselves partly in opposition to the impressionist art which had become the status quo in much of Europe, they shared some of its oriental influences and obsession with capturing the reality behind the immediate perception of the senses.
The fauvinists emerged in Paris, the name deriving from the term ‘les fauves’ (the wild beasts), coined by the critic Louis Vauxcelles before the 1905 Autumn Salon. Their innovative use of colour and form, above and beyond the semi-realistic palettes of the impressionists, distinguished them. The movement was led by Matisse, along with George Rouault and Albert Marquet, all of whom studied at the studio of Gustave Moreau (whose imaginative fantasy scenes were almost a genre of their own.) Matisse, especially, owed parts of his artistic philosophy to the approach of impressionist Cezanne. Matisse believed: “There is an inherent truth which must be disengaged from the outward appearance of the object to be represented.” Cezanne wrote that art was a “theory developed and applied in contrast with nature”, to remedy what he called, in a letter to Joachin Gasquet, “those confused sensations that we bring with us at birth.” Yet the fauvinists went beyond that. Matisse also asserted that “What I am after, above all, is expression... I am unable to distinguish between the feeling I have for life and my way of expressing it.” This philosophy he extended to every aspect of his pictures, even the “proportions” and the “empty spaces” around his figures and objects.
What then differentiated them from the expressionists? Primarily it was the introduction of a surrealist element, what Worringer called, in his treatises on ‘the transcendentalism of the Gothic world of expression,’ the “weird and fantastic.” Those in the two expressionist branches which emerged – der Blaue Reiter in Munich, 1911-12, and die Buche in Dresden in 1905, were heavily influenced by this philosophy. Worringer sought to create a unique gothic framework for northern art. He wrote: “The need in Northern man for activity, which is precluded from being translated into a clear knowledge of actuality... finally disburdens itself” and is “transformed into a spectrally haphazard and distorted actuality.” All the movement’s artists shared studio space, materials and manifestos, so the same philosophy permeated their work. Edward Munch was the outstanding figure, in works such as The Dance of Life, 1899-1900, and The Cry in 1895. James Ensor’s Girl with Doll, 1884, is another example. The subject matter, and the figures in the pictures, are often isolated and in pain, with abnormal proportions or features. This introspective, depressive element helps distinguish the German expressionists, in addition to the geographic distance.
The Bruche (basket) branch of the expressionists were different again, and could be seen as the forerunners of the Bahaus movement in Berlin. They placed a greater emphasis on prints and graphic arts as a stylistic influence (Bahaus helped pioneer the discipline of graphic design)
The group was founded by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938), originally a student of architecture who converted his fellow architecture students Fritz Blo in 1902, and Erick Hechekl in 1904, to move their focus from buildings to prints. The figures in their stark black and white line prints show, nonetheless, the same legacy of oriental and African art that influenced the impressionists. Another important figure, Karl Schmitt-Rothuff, painted Way to Emmaus later in 1918, whose figures have faces resembling African tribal masks. The idea of an image’s symbolic or allegorical possibilities was not one associated with the long naturalistic tradition of a “classic” western style.
In conclusion, despite their overlaps, the expressionist and fauvinist movements were distinguished in their approach to subject matter: the former allowed their emotions to actively distort reality, while the latter saw them as a positive means of enhancing their perception. Both owed a debt to extra-European influences, and the break with naturalism or realistic observation, pioneered by the impressionists.