Fauve

American  

[fohv] / foʊv /

noun

1. (sometimes lowercase) any of a group of French artists of the early 20th century whose works are characterized chiefly by the use of vivid colors in immediate juxtaposition and contours usually in marked contrast to the color of the area defined.

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Fauve British  

/ fov /

noun

1. one of a group of French painters prominent from 1905, including Matisse, Vlaminck, and Derain, characterized by the use of bright colours and simplified forms

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adjective

1. (often not capital) of this group or its style

Other Word Forms

• Fauvism
  noun
• Fauvist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Fauve

1910–15; < French: wild beast, noun use of fauve wild, literally, tawny < Germanic; see fallow ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Fauve

It lasted a short three years, and only four major Fauve paintings have come to auction since 2010.

From Washington Times ● May 9, 2016

Roy Lichtenstein's 10 Pop paintings provide a stunning survey of his 1960s breakthrough, giving mass-media makeovers to Impressionist, Fauve, Cubist and other historic paintings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2015

Henri Matisse is the founder of the Fauve movement, one of the predominant 20th century art movements.

From US News ● Jul. 10, 2015

He started his collecting with Post-Impressionist works and around the same time met the wonderful English Fauve artist, Sir Matthew Smith.

From Forbes ● Oct. 11, 2012

The reds, blues and whites go back to the palette of Maurice de Vlaminck during his Fauve years in a composition that is otherwise utterly different.

From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2010