Art With The Fauves

1. Lesson 1: Le Havre – Albert Marquet: Fair at Le Havre

Lesson 1: Le Havre – Albert Marquet: Fair at Le Havre

The Fauves were known for their outrageous use of colour after giving an exhibition in 1906 at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris. Art historians suggest that at the time there was a sense of audiences tiring somewhat after the era of Post-Impressionists and this pause saw exciting use of colour and a sudden burst of artistic energy.  It caused a sensation. On Fauvism Matisse stated:

 

Fauvism for me was proof of the means of expression: to place side by side, assembled in an expressive and structural way, a blue, a red, a green. It was the result of a necessity within me, not a voluntary attitude arrived at by deduction or reasoning: it was something that only painting can do.

 

This Art Appreciation course will examine some of the artworks that were a part of this relatively short burst of artistic energy. Look for the location of the pieces each lesson, try your hand at the art activities included, and enjoy this sensational art.

 

This week the focus is on Le Havre in France. Le Havre as a place had a connection with the Impressionists, with the working port being featured in many of their paintings. It features the celebrations of Bastille Day, so there is lots of red, white and blue paint. It features strong brushwork: look for the way Marquet depicts people with dark vertical brushstrokes.

Art Activity

If you squint your eyes slightly while looking at the artwork you can see the main lines of the painting more clearly. Using this technique of identifying the primary lines of the painting, to reproduce these in sketch form, effectively creating a quick sketch of the key components of the painting.

 

You might also like to prepare an advertisement for the fair.