Autumn Landscape

Maurice de Vlaminck

c. 1905

An oil painting of a fiery autumn countryside in which Vlaminck abandons literal color to use aggressive, expressive hues and broad brushwork to convey the feeling of the place rather than an exact likeness.

You are first struck by a foreground of blazing reds and oranges scored with deep blue accents that thrust forward against a cooler band of greens and purples at the horizon, the paint applied thickly in energetic, almost calligraphic strokes.

Made around 1905, this work is a clear example of Fauvism’s break with naturalistic color—Vlaminck’s bold, arbitrary palette and textured handling helped push painting toward greater emotional directness and eventual abstraction.

Palette

Art Terms

Fauvism

Exhibitions

French Paintings from the Molyneux Collection

1952

Les Fauves

1952

The "Wild Beasts": Fauvism and Its Affinities

1976

Symbolism, Synthesists, and the Fin-de-Siècle

1972