Henri Rousseau

Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau
Rousseau in 1907;
photo by Dornac
Born
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau

(1844-05-21)21 May 1844
Laval, France
Died2 September 1910(1910-09-02) (aged 66)
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
EducationSelf-taught
Known forPainting
Notable workThe Sleeping Gypsy, Tiger in a Tropical Storm, The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, Boy on the Rocks
MovementPost-Impressionism, Naïve art, Primitivism
Signature

Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (French: [ɑ̃ʁi ʒyljɛ̃ feliks ʁuso]; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)[1] was a French post-impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner.[2][3] He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer), a humorous description of his occupation as a toll and tax collector.[1] He started painting seriously in his early forties; by age 49, he retired from his job to work on his art full-time.[4]

Ridiculed during his lifetime by critics, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality.[5][6] Rousseau's work exerted an extensive influence on several generations of avant-garde artists.[4]

  1. ^ a b Henri Rousseau biography Archived 24 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine at the Guggenheim
  2. ^ Artillerymen by Rousseau at the Guggenheim
  3. ^ "Welcome to HenriRousseau.org – "Le Douanier" : The Life and Works of Henri Rousseau". Henrirousseau.org. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  4. ^ a b Roberta Smith (14 July 2006) "Henri Rousseau: In imaginary jungles, a terrible beauty lurks" The New York Times. Accessed 14 July 2006
  5. ^ Rousseau at the National Gallery of Art
  6. ^ Cornelia Stabenow (2001). Rousseau. Taschen. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-3-8228-1364-5.