Henri Rousseau

In 1905 Rousseau's large jungle scene The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants near works by younger leading avant-garde artists such as Henri Matisse in what is now seen as the first showing of The Fauves. Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!) was exhibited in 1891 and Rousseau received his first serious review when the young artist Félix Vallotton wrote: "His tiger surprising its prey ought not to be missed; it's the alpha and omega of painting.

Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (French pronunciation: ​[ɑ̃ʁi ʒyljɛ̃ feliks ʁuso]) (May 21 1844 – September 2 1910) was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer) a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector. Ridiculed during his lifetime he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality.