Fauvism: Part 2

Georges Braque was another French artist who was influenced by Matisse and Derain.   He painted in the Fauvist style for a short period before evolving toward cubism.  See several examples of his work in this article:  http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/braque.php

In House Behind the Trees, the red and purple tree trunks and bright yellow roof are examples of the arbitrary color favored by the Fauves while the light and dark values allow the subject matter to be clearly recognizable.  Bits of red carry the eye around the composition.  Landscape at La Ciotat ventures even further into pure color. Complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel such as blue/orange or purple/yellow-green) are juxtaposed to create visual vibration.  In both of these pieces dark outlines add linear elements, and the composition is enhanced with pattern.  As with the other Fauves, simplified shapes suggest the landscape, but keep focus on brilliant color.

First Light, Acrylic, 14x11"

My paintings often include many of the Fauvist ideas.  Painting on location, I capture shapes that characterize the place, then look for complementary colors and exaggerate the contrast.  In this piece, from Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, the early morning light touched the tops of the cliffs and tips of the trees, while the canyon walls and red dirt road remained in deep shadows. So I enhanced the colors using the contrast of blue with orange and green with red.

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