Fauve paintings, with their bold distortion of forms and exuberant colour, created great controversy when they were first exhibited in the early years of the 20th century. In this account of Fauvism, James Herbert examines significant paintings of the most famous members of the school - Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck - and shows that what appeared to be their artistic simplicity in fact disguised an involvement in many of the pressing issues of the day. Herbert examines key paintins that exemplify the central themes of Fauvism, analyzing them in the light of the political-cultural debates of...