HARMONY IN RED The maturation of Matisse’s color discover-
ies coalesced in his Red Room (Harmony in Red; FIG. 35-3). The sub-
ject is the interior of a comfortable, prosperous household with a maid
placing fruit and wine on the table, but Matisse’s canvas is radically dif-
ferent from traditional paintings of domestic interiors (FIG. 25-19). The
Fauve painter depicted objects in simplified and schematized fashion
and flattened out the forms. For example, Matisse eliminated the front
edge of the table, making the table, with its identical patterning, as flat
as the wall behind it. The window at the upper left could also be a
painting on the wall, further flattening the space. Everywhere, the
colors contrast richly and intensely. Matisse’s process of overpaint-
ing reveals the importance of color for striking the right chord in the
viewer. Initially, this work was predominantly green, and then he re-
painted it blue. Neither seemed appropriate to Matisse, and not un-
til he repainted this work in red did he feel he had found the right
color for the “harmony” he wished to compose.
ANDRÉ DERAINAnother Fauve painter was André Derain
(1880–1954), who worked closely with Matisse. Like Matisse, Derain
worked to use color to its fullest potential—to produce aesthetic and
compositional coherence, to increase luminosity, and to elicit emo-
tional responses from the viewer.The Dance (FIG. 35-4), in which
several figures, some nude, others clothed, frolic in a lush landscape,
is typical of Derain’s art. The tropical setting and the bold colors re-
flect in part Derain’s study of Paul Gauguin’s paintings (FIGS. 31-18
and 31-19), as does the flattened perspective. Color delineates space,
and Derain indicated light and shadow not by differences in value
but by contrasts of hue. For the Fauves, as for Gauguin and van Gogh,
color does not describe the local tones of objects but expresses the
picture’s content.German Expressionism
The immediacy and boldness of the Fauve images appealed to many
artists, including the German Expressionists. However, although
color plays a prominent role in contemporaneous German painting,the expressiveness of the German images is due as much to wrench-
ing distortions of form, ragged outline, and agitated brush strokes.
This approach resulted in savagely powerful, emotional canvases in
the years leading to World War I.ERNST LUDWIG KIRCHNER The first group of German
artists to explore Expressionist ideas gathered in Dresden in 1905
under the leadership ofErnst Ludwig Kirchner(1880–1938).
The group members thought of themselves as paving the way for a
more perfect age by bridging the old age and the new. They derived
their name,Die Brücke(The Bridge), from this concept. Kirchner’s
early studies in architecture, painting, and the graphic arts had in-
stilled in him a deep admiration for German medieval art. Like the
British artists associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, such as
William Morris (FIG. 31-34), members of Die Brücke modeled
themselves on their ideas of medieval craft guilds by living together
and practicing all the arts equally. Kirchner described their lofty
goals in a ringing statement published in the form of a woodcut in
1913 and titled Chronik der Brücke:With faith in progress and in a new generation of creators and
spectators we call together all youth. As youth, we carry the future
and want to create for ourselves freedom of life and of movement
against the long-established older forces. Everyone who reproduces
that which drives him to creation with directness and authenticity
belongs to us.^2These artists protested the hypocrisy and materialistic deca-
dence of those in power. Kirchner, in particular, focused much of his
attention on the detrimental effects of industrialization, such as the
alienation of individuals in cities, which he felt fostered a mecha-
nized and impersonal society. The tensions leading to World War I
further exacerbated the discomfort and anxiety evidenced in the
works of Die Brücke artists.Europe, 1900 to 1920 91335-4André Derain,The Dance,1906.
Oil on canvas, 6^7 – 8 6 10 –^14 . Fridart
Foundation, London.
Derain worked closely with Matisse, but
the tropical setting and the bold colors
of The Dancealso reflect Derain’s study
of Gauguin’s paintings (FIGS. 31-18and
31-19), as does the flattened perspective.1 ft.35-4ADERAIN,
Mountains at
Collioure,1905.