Henri Rousseau: Difference between revisions
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'''Henri Rousseau''' ([[1844]]-[[1910]]) was a French [[Post-Impressionism|Post-Impressionist]] painter in the Naive or Primitive manner. He is also known as '''''Le Douanier''''' ("the customs officer") after his place of employment. Ridiculed during his life, he is now seen as an untaught genius whose works are of the highest artictic quality. |
'''Henri Rousseau''' ([[May 21]], [[1844]] - [[September 2]], [[1910]]) was a French [[Post-Impressionism|Post-Impressionist]] painter in the Naive or Primitive manner. He is also known as '''''Le Douanier''''' ("the customs officer") after his place of employment. Ridiculed during his life, he is now seen as an untaught genius whose works are of the highest artictic quality. |
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After half a lifetime spent in menial employment, Rousseau took up painting as a hobby and attempted to assume the [[Academic art|academic]] manner of establishment artists such as [[Bouguereau]], but instead created works of charming, stylized fantasy. His ingenuousness was extreme, and he was not aware that establishment artists considered him untutored. In 1908 [[Picasso]] gave a banquet, half serious half burlesque, in his honor. |
After half a lifetime spent in menial employment, Rousseau took up painting as a hobby and attempted to assume the [[Academic art|academic]] manner of establishment artists such as [[Bouguereau]], but instead created works of charming, stylized fantasy. His ingenuousness was extreme, and he was not aware that establishment artists considered him untutored. In 1908 [[Picasso]] gave a banquet, half serious half burlesque, in his honor. |
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Revision as of 07:56, 5 April 2004
Henri Rousseau (May 21, 1844 - September 2, 1910) was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naive or Primitive manner. He is also known as Le Douanier ("the customs officer") after his place of employment. Ridiculed during his life, he is now seen as an untaught genius whose works are of the highest artictic quality.
After half a lifetime spent in menial employment, Rousseau took up painting as a hobby and attempted to assume the academic manner of establishment artists such as Bouguereau, but instead created works of charming, stylized fantasy. His ingenuousness was extreme, and he was not aware that establishment artists considered him untutored. In 1908 Picasso gave a banquet, half serious half burlesque, in his honor.
Rousseau is now best known for his jungle scenes, which he claimed were inspired by his non-existent travel in Mexico, but in fact his sources were illustrated books and visits to the zoo and botanical gardens in Paris. His work "The Sleeping Gypsy" (1897), which shows a lion musing over a sleeping man in eerie moonlight, is one of the best-known works of the modern era.