Literally: "fierce, wild"; a French avant-garde movement of painters of the beginning of the century like Braque, Derain, Matisse, Rouault, and de Vlaminck.
Their paintings are characterized by an exuberant palette full of bright colours and sometimes violent comparisons.
They renounce beauty and chromatic harmony of impressionism and sometimes create "ugly" results on purpose.
The fauves painters free the painting from any compulsory imitation of reality.
They somewhat throw the colours on the canvas without bothering to comply to any pattern.