Émile Othon Friesz stood out at the Salon d'Automne in 1905, alongside Matisse and Marquet. This show, held at the Grand Palais in Paris, had been inaugurated two years previously. The 1905 exhibition is marked by the modernity of the chosen works.

Émile Othon Friesz is well represented there thanks to his paintings characterized by flat areas of bright, juxtaposed colors. This is the beginning of Fauvism, of which Friesz becomes one of the most brilliant representatives, particularly with his series of Mediterranean landscapes. However, from 1907, despite the commercial success of Fauvism, Friesz moved away from it. His art developed during his stay in the South, where he captured the light of the region on his canvases. Inspired by the teachings of Cézanne, Othon Friesz creates landscapes, still lifes and seascapes, expressing dynamism and balance with a contrasting but sober palette. By being part of various artistic movements such as impressionism, fauvism and “Cézannism”, Othon Friesz perfectly embodies the painting of this era.