While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:The Fauvism art movement emerged in early 20th century France.Fauvist...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Fauvism art movement emerged in early 20th century France.
- Fauvist painters used bold, non-naturalistic colors in their work.
- The movement's name derives from the French word 'fauve,' meaning 'wild beast.'
- Art critic Louis Vauxcelles first used this term in 1905 after viewing paintings by Henri Matisse and André Derain.
- Vauxcelles described their intense color palette as the work of 'wild beasts' due to its aggressive, untamed appearance.
- The artists initially rejected the label but eventually embraced it as their movement's identity.
The student wants to explain how Fauvism acquired its distinctive name. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Fauvism emerged in early 20th century France when artists like Matisse and Derain began using bold, non-naturalistic colors in their paintings.
The Fauvism movement derives its name from 'fauve,' the French term for 'wild beast,' which critic Louis Vauxcelles used to describe the aggressive appearance of the artists' intense color palettes.
Art critic Louis Vauxcelles viewed paintings by Henri Matisse and André Derain in 1905, describing their bold colors as untamed and aggressive.
The artists who would become known as Fauvists initially rejected the 'wild beast' label but eventually embraced it as their movement's identity.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The Fauvism art movement emerged in early 20th century France.' |
|
| 'Fauvist painters used bold, non-naturalistic colors in their work.' |
|
| 'The movement's name derives from the French word 'fauve,' meaning 'wild beast.'' |
|
| 'Art critic Louis Vauxcelles first used this term in 1905 after viewing paintings by Henri Matisse and Andre Derain.' |
|
| 'Vauxcelles described their intense color palette as the work of 'wild beasts' due to its aggressive, untamed appearance.' |
|
| 'The artists initially rejected the label but eventually embraced it as their movement's identity.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture and Core Elements
Main Point: The notes trace how the Fauvism art movement got its distinctive name through a critic's response to the aggressive appearance of the artists bold color choices.
Argument Flow: The notes establish the historical emergence and key technique of Fauvism, then walk through the complete process of how the movement acquired its name from the French word meaning wild beast, through the critic who first applied it and his reasoning, to the artists eventual acceptance of the label.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The correct answer needs to connect the dots between several key pieces from our notes
- First, it should mention that fauve means wild beast in French since that's the literal source
- Second, it should connect this to critic Vauxcelles using the term, because he's the one who actually applied it to the art
- Third, it should explain WHY he used this particular label - because of the aggressive, intense appearance of their colors
Fauvism emerged in early 20th century France when artists like Matisse and Derain began using bold, non-naturalistic colors in their paintings.
- Describes when and where Fauvism emerged and mentions the bold colors but doesn't explain how the NAME came about
- Completely misses the etymology and critic connection
The Fauvism movement derives its name from 'fauve,' the French term for 'wild beast,' which critic Louis Vauxcelles used to describe the aggressive appearance of the artists' intense color palettes.
- Connects all the essential elements: derives from fauve meaning wild beast, Vauxcelles used this term, and explains why (aggressive appearance of intense colors)
- Directly traces the process of how the name was acquired
Art critic Louis Vauxcelles viewed paintings by Henri Matisse and André Derain in 1905, describing their bold colors as untamed and aggressive.
- Mentions Vauxcelles viewing the paintings and describing the colors as untamed and aggressive but stops short of connecting this to the actual NAME
- Doesn't mention fauve, wild beast, or how this became the movement's label
The artists who would become known as Fauvists initially rejected the 'wild beast' label but eventually embraced it as their movement's identity.
- Focuses on the artists reaction to the label (rejecting then embracing)
- This is about what happened AFTER the name was already established, not how it was acquired in the first place