Henri Rousseau - A Centennial of Independence [1892]

Henri Rousseau - A Centennial of Independence [1892], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Henri Rousseau commemorated the one-hundredth anniversary of the proclamation of the first French Republic in 1792. Peasants dance the farandole, a popular southern French dance, around three liberty trees and two female figures representing the First and Third Republics. Rousseau copied the dancers from a French magazine illustration but added waving banners, the liberty poles, and the allegorical figures. A wagon in the background is full of costumed musicians, reminiscent of parades the artist had seen. He used brilliant colours and solid forms to express the happiness of the scene symbolising good government. To the right, the erect posture of the dignified republican leaders signals the solidity of the French Republic.

[Oil on canvas, 44 x 71.875 inches]

Henri Rousseau - Boy on the Rocks [1895-97]

Henri Rousseau - Boy on the Rocks [1895-97], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

[Oil on linen, 55.4 x 45.7 cm]

Henri Rousseau - Rendezvous in the Forest [1889]

Henri Rousseau - Rendezvous in the Forest [1889], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Henri Rousseau (1844 – 1910) was a clerk in the Paris toll service who dreamed of becoming a famous artist. This job allowed him to support his family and gave him time to pursue his true passion - art. From his post at the toll gates and on strolls through the suburbs of Paris, Rousseau observed the world and filled numerous notebooks with sketches from nature. He retired at age forty-nine to become a full-time artist.

Although he painted many exotic scenes, Rousseau never left France. He often explored the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden and zoo in Paris where he studied and drew plants and wild animals. He visited museums for artistic inspiration, and based some painted characters on pictures in books and magazines. The public laughed at Rousseau’s bold, primitive style, but he was admired and championed by modern artists such as Pablo Picasso.

Henri Rousseau - Surprised! [1891]

Henri Rousseau - Surprised! [1891], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

This is the first of the jungle scenes on which Rousseau's fame chiefly depends. This painting was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in 1891 with the title Surpris!. It was later described by the artist as representing a tiger hunting explorers. Rousseau claimed that he had gained knowledge of the jungle while serving as a regimental bandsman in Mexico in the 1860s, but this seems to be a fiction and his paintings were probably inspired by visits to the botanical gardens in Paris and by prints. The figure of the tiger may have been based on a print after a pastel by Delacroix.

[Oil on canvas, 129.8 x 161.9 cm]

Henri Rousseau - View of the Fortifications to the left of the Gate of Vanes [1909]

Henri Rousseau - View of the Fortifications to the left of the Gate of Vanes [1909], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (Laval, Mayenne, May 21, 1844 – Paris, 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 tax collector. Ridiculed during his life, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality.

[Oil on canvas, 31 x 41 cm]

Henri Rousseau - Carnival Evening [1886]

Henri Rousseau - Carnival Evening [1886], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

An air of mystery pervades this wintry forest landscape. Dressed in festive carnival costumes, a lone couple stands in front of barren trees. The figures seem to shine from within rather than from the light of the moon, which has strangely left the forest in darkness. An unexplained face leers out from the empty hut beside the figures, and an unexpected street lamp incongruously glows nearby. Known for his fantastic scenes, Rousseau was a self-taught artist whose works appealed to the collectors and avant-garde artists of the early twentieth century, including Pablo Picasso.

[Oil on canvas, 117.3 x 89.5 cm]