MODERNISM

Question 1

What period was Fauvism?

Answer 1

1905 - 1907

Question 2

How did the Fauves get their name?

Answer 2

After displaying work at the Salon d’Automne that was so shocking they were dubbed ‘le fauves’ meaning ‘wild beasts’ by critic Louis Vauxcelles

Question 3

What was the ‘Fauve Summer’?

Answer 3

In the summer of 1905, Derain and Matisse spent time in Coliourre, in the south of France. They were inspired by the bright Mediterranean light and began producing works that experimented with light effects

Question 4

Who were the Fauves?

Answer 4

A group of artists consisting of Vlaminck, Derain and Matisse. It was never an organised group but Matisse was regarded as the leader

Question 5

What subject matter did the Fauves focus on?

Answer 5

Genres lower down in the hierarchy of genres: landscapes, seascapes/skyscrapers and portraits

Question 6

Features of primitivism?

Answer 6

• Simplified form and shape
• Expressive use of colour
• Inspiration from non-western cultures
• Child-like imagery

Question 7

When was Derain’s ‘Portrait of Matisse’ produced?

Answer 7

During the 1905 ‘Fauve summer’ when Derain and Matisse spent time in Collioure, in the south of France

Question 8

What did Matisse notably paint during the 1905 fauve summer?

Answer 8

‘Portrait of Derain’

Question 9

Describe Matisse’s face in Derain’s ‘Portrait of Matisse’

Answer 9

Matisse’s face is divided into two halves - the left side is painted using dark greens to represent shadow, and the right side is painted is painted in yellows, pinks and oranges to show the directionality of light

Question 10

Why are light effects such an important factor in Derain’s ‘Portrait of Matisse’?

Answer 10

The light in Collioure is brilliant and bright

Question 11

Give an example of where an anti-naturalistic use of colour is applied in Derain’s ‘Portrait of Matisse’

Answer 11

Red paint is applied under the eyes

Question 12

How do we gain a sense of depth in Derain’s ‘Portrait of Matisse’?

Answer 12

There is a lack of tonal modelling but we gain a sense of depth through the pipe. The lighter colours suggest the areas in which it projects forward, and the darker colours show where it is further back

Question 13

Describe the glasses in Derain’s ‘Portrait of Matisse’

Answer 13

We see the temples of the glasses but there aren’t any frames or lenses

Question 14

Describe the beard in Derain’s ‘Portrait of Matisse’, where does this take influence from?

Answer 14

Areas of the beard are made up of small dots of impasto, likely inspired by Van Gogh’s impressionist works which the Fauves would have seen at Van Gogh’s retrospective gallery. Or perhaps it takes influence from Seurat’s pointillism technique

Question 15

Why did Matisse begin to move away from fauvism in 1906?

Answer 15

Matisse moves away from fauvism after his trip to Biskra, Algeria. On his trip he would’ve seen a variety of African art which provoked his interest in non-western styles

Question 16

Did Matisse have first hand access to African art?

Answer 16

Yes, he acquired an African sculpture and also saw Derain’s African tribal mask

Question 17

How is Matisse’s ‘Blue nude’ connected to traditional art?

Answer 17

The reclining nude figure is a traditional image in western art. For example, in Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’. Matisse takes this traditional subject and approaches it in a radical way

Question 18

What did Matisse do before producing ‘Blue nude’ and what could this explain?

Answer 18

He created a version of ‘blue nude’ in sculptural form, which could explain why the work has a sculptural feel

Question 19

Who commissioned Matisse’s ‘Blue Nude’?

Answer 19

Sarah and Michael Stein, who had a strong personal relationship with Matisse. They had been the ones to encourage Matisse to open his school of painting and often recommended Matisse’s works to others

Question 20

Why is Matisse’s ‘Blue nude’ an anti-naturalistic depiction of the human form?

Answer 20

• exaggerated expression of human form with the large buttocks and spherical breasts (influenced by African tribal art)
• lack of tonal modelling
• simplified depiction of the human figure

Question 21

How do we gain a sense of the figures aura in Matisse’s ‘Blue nude’?

Answer 21

Blue brush marks radiate away from the figure, representing the figures aura surrounding her

Question 22

Matisse’s ‘Blue nude’ is outlined with blues and greens, what is this called?

Answer 22

Cloissonismé

Question 23

When did Matisse open his school of art and why?

Answer 23

In 1908, with the encouragement of Sarah and Michael Stein, Matisse opened his school of art. The Stein’s financed his school and promoted his school to others

Question 24

Who commissioned Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’?

Answer 24

Oskar and Margareta Moll, among the first people to attend Matisse’s school of art

Question 25

Why did Matisse choose to paint his ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’?

Answer 25

Prior to being taught under Matisse, Margareta was taught by Louis Corinth in Berlin, who had painted a portrait of Greta. However, Matisse believed Corinth had not captured Greta’s youthfulness, so he decided to paint her himself

Question 26

How much did the Steins pay for Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’ and why was the purchase significant?

Answer 26

They settled for a price of 1000 francs under the ‘first refusal agreement’, whereby if the Moll’s did not like the painting they could reject it free of charge. This agreement gave Matisse more artistic freedom in this work, which explains his treatment of Greta

Question 27

What is used in the background of Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’?

Answer 27

‘Toile de jouy’, a piece of patterned fabric, which Matisse used frequently in his works

Question 28

What is Greta wearing in Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’?

Answer 28

A green patterned shirt which exposes her jowly forearms, and a black skirt

Question 29

How do we gain a sense of three-dimensionality in Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’?

Answer 29

Through the darker orange paint being applied around her eyebrows to suggest shadow

Question 30

Describe the brushwork in Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’?

Answer 30

• hatching in the shirt
• long, flowing brushstrokes in the background

Question 31

Greta is outlined in Matisse’s ‘Portrait of Greta Moll’, what is this called?

Answer 31

Cloissonismé

Question 32

When was cubism?

Answer 32

1907 - 1916

Question 33

Who were the main cubist artists?

Answer 33

Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. They shared a studio

Question 34

What were the stages of cubism

Answer 34

• Early cubism (1907-09): focus on landscapes and still life’s with flat planes of colour
• Analytical cubism (1909-12): focus on analysing shape and form
• Synthetic cubism (1912-16): incorporating collage of fabric

Question 35

Where did the term ‘cubism’ come from?

Answer 35

Critic, Louis Vauxcelles referred to Braque’s ‘Houses at L’Estaque’ as being composed of little cubes

Question 36

Which artists influenced cubism?

Answer 36

Cezanne, who’s forms in his artworks derived from the come, the cylinder sand the sphere

Question 37

Discuss the cubists ideas of perspective.

Answer 37

The cubists rejected one-point perspective and instead focused on depicting multiple viewpoints, like how objects would appear to the eye in real life