Rousseau

by Cornelia Stabenow

Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) emerged from humble circumstances - reflected in his nickname, "the customs official". An employee in the Paris customs bureau, Rousseau was an autodidact who incrementally worked his way into a position among the artists who were renewing the art world at the turn of the century. It was a difficult journey - for years the art world laughed at the layman's flat, icon-like figures, simple landscapes and, in his late phase, exotic jungle scenes. However his "naive" compositions in fact became an emblem that piqued the interest of the avant-garde. Rousseau's jungle paintings consisted of ornamental variations of plant leaves, among which he set brilliantly coloured predators, natives and naked beauties. In so doing, the artist evinced intuitive principles of design and compositions, which subsequent avant-garde artists had to work out for themselves with great effort. Ultimately winning recognition as an uncompromising modernist, Rousseau inspired comparison with Derain, Cezanne, Matisse and Gauguin. He became acquainted with Apollinaire, Delaunay, Picabia, Brancusi and other important figures; in 1908, Picasso held a legendary banquet in his honour. Today, "Rousseau's myth," a fascinating mixture of primitive idyll and flight from civilization, of concrete and abstract, holds a secure place in the history of art.

Genres: Art, Biography, Nonfiction, Collections, Reference

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Gareth Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful hardback with many double-page colour illustrations of Rouseau’s paintings accompanied by a clear but academic assessment of the artist. Was he a talent or not? Was his work naive or deliberate? How much inspiration did he offer other artists striving for a new way to see the world? All of these questions, Stabenow touches upon thoughtfully.

[carelessdestiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very illuminating account of a painter who is easy to categorise as just another naive folk painter.

[Rhesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presents a short history of famous French naturalist painter Henri Rousseau. To be honest I don't really bother reading it, but I find myself immersed on enjoying his paintings generously displayed in this book. They are breath taking, and will stimulate your romantic ideas about nature so high that I doubt it can go back to the original size. Succumb to his paintings and you shall find yourself a naturalist in the order of Emerson and Thoreau soon.