Abstract Thursday: Fauvism

"In the beginning you must subject yourself to the influence of nature. You must be able to walk firmly on the ground before you start walking on a tightrope."
Henri Matisse
Having visited quite a number of art galleries over our three years in France, I had a vague concept of Fauvism, but I did do a bit of research to understand it better. The term Fauvism refers to a highly fashionable, though short-lived art movement which originated in France around the turn of the century. Famous above all for their bold use of colour, the "Fauves" received their name at the 1905 Salon d'Automne exhibition in Paris, from the influential art critic Louis Vauxcelles, who insultingly described their vividly colored paintings as being the work of wild beasts (Fauves in French), and the name stuck! The leader of the movement was Henri Matisse. For my take on the challenge I did a bit off faffing on my iPad with a photograph of a fern leaf in the forest.