Why was Matisse the leader of the Fauves?
In 1905, Matisse and a group of artists now known as “Fauves” (wild beasts) exhibited together in a room at the Salon d’Automne. The paintings expressed emotion with wild, often dissonant colours, without regard for the subject’s natural colours. Matisse showed Open Window and Woman with the Hat at the Salon. Critic Louis Vauxcelles described the work with the phrase “Donatello au milieu des fauves!” (Donatello among the wild beasts), referring to a Renaissance-type sculpture that shared the room with them.[8] His comment was printed on 17 October 1905 in Gil Blas, a daily newspaper, and passed into popular usage.[8][9] The pictures gained considerable condemnation, such as “A pot of paint has been flung in the face of the public” from the critic Camille Mauclair, but also some favourable attention.[8] The painting that was singled out for attacks was Matisse’s Woman with a Hat, which was bought by Gertrude and Leo Stein: this had a very positive effect on Matisse, who was suffering de
