French for “the wild beasts,” the Fauvists were a group of early 20th century artists who emphasized strong color and painterly qualities (brushstrokes, composition, etc.) over the realistic and representational values still held by impressionists. Fauvism was a relatively short lived movement, beginning around 1904 and tapering out around 1910. The unique aesthetics of Fauvism can be traced back to a number of other artistic movements and techniques operating around the same time such as Post-Impressionism, Pointillism, Expressionism, etc.