Pond and Small House 1908

Curator: Auguste Herbin’s “Pond and Small House,” painted in 1908, offers a fascinating look at early Fauvist landscape. Editor: Immediately striking are these almost playful shapes – the house feels as though it's been assembled from painted blocks, like a child’s toy. The palette gives me such a childlike wonder. Curator: The use of flattened perspective, and simplified forms indeed pulls from that impulse. He seemed invested in the production of what some might describe as 'naive' art—foregrounding the flatness of the canvas. Herbin’s involvement with avant-garde circles also underscores a search for radical approaches to art making at the time. Editor: Absolutely. And what about this almost stylized rendition of the pond – that color, the depth achieved via just simple mirrored shapes. It certainly steers away from naturalistic portrayal, doesn't it? Makes one wonder if there are other layers to it... a reference, perhaps? Curator: Perhaps! Consider that this approach involved moving painting away from the academic or reproductive approach – an impulse in favour of highlighting the pure construction through colour and shape. Also, the materiality of paint itself - thick swathes emphasizing its own presence. Editor: So it's a focus on the labour involved, as well as the final symbolic arrangement, that would have been ground breaking? It's tempting to see that humble house reflecting not just the sky but humanity's reflection back on itself. What do you think? Curator: Interesting you note this reflection. Considering Herbin’s socialist commitments, it begs the question: is he really making us consider a simpler dwelling? By playing down any classical rendering, are we invited to view society at eye level, refuting high and low forms of craftsmanship? Editor: Herbin certainly makes one think. The Fauvist use of unblended colours evokes a landscape filled with light. "Pond and Small House", for all its compositional and color boldness, provides a study in symbolism... of material and nature’s harmony. Curator: Well put. He really used painting in order to invite the viewers into new modes of reflecting and seeing; and to reflect on their world around them in fresh terms.