The "Wild Beasts" of Collioure
Just to be
clear from the outset, we’re not talking about the four-legged variety of
creature here. No, these “wild beasts,” strange as it may seem, carried around sketchbooks,
easels, canvases, and paint brushes! A Parisian critic at the turn of the twentieth
century observed some odd vividly colored, simplified paintings at the fall art
salon and termed their creators a never-before-seen kind of animal. He called
them les Fauves and the movement became
known as le fauvisme.
So, how did
this all come about? Well, it seems that in 1904 Henri Matisse had been
experimenting with color at a summer retreat in Saint Tropez. Wanting to take
his sizable family to a less expensive place on the Mediterranean, the
following year he settled on the sleepy fishing village of Collioure and
invited his younger friend André Derain to join him. The rest, as they say, is
art history. During that one season the pair produced nearly 250 paintings,
drawings, and sculptures. Not bad for a few months’ work!
Even we
artistically challenged people know that Collioure is a special place. Visitors
are immediately struck by the beauty of the town…the winding medieval streets; colorful,
interesting buildings; the abundant light; the deep blue of the sky and the
sea. And the townsfolk have not forgotten their past connection to art. At several
spots throughout the city there are blank iron frames which give the
perspective the artist had while creating his work. Galleries and workshops are
everywhere. You can even follow a chemin
du fauvisme, an outdoor art trail filled with reproductions of paintings by
the Fauves. There are supposedly 20
in all, but perhaps because of the season, we found less than half that many
hanging from stone walls surrounding the port. 
A unique connection
to the history of art is found in the hotel/restaurant Les Templiers, named for the castle it faced from its location on
the avenue Camille Pelletan. Back in the day the owners, René and Pauline Pous,
not only prepared food and drink for their customers but often accepted
paintings from artists in lieu of payment. As a result, the current collection—which
is spread throughout the rooms and hallways of the restaurant and the hotel—adds
up to over 2000 works of art. Matisse and Derain enjoyed a meal at noon there,
to be sure, but also Dufy, and later on, Spaniards Dalí and Picasso. Ah, to have
been rubbing elbows with that crowd!
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