considered "too childish". MAIN A-Z INDEX - A-Z of ARTISTS. He is known for his richly coloured and meticulously detailed pictures of lush jungles, wild beasts, and exotic figures. His wife, who had been ill for some time, died in 1888, and within several years he lost all of his family except for a daughter, whom he sent to live with relatives. • Biography The Dream (1910) on a sofa in one of his imaginary jungles. told Picasso that they were the only great contemporary artists, "I Henri rousseau était autodidacte et faisait rire par ses créations maladroites et ses perspectives mal conçues . He once - Henri Rousseau (Henri Julien Félix Rousseau) dit Le Douanier Rousseau (né le 21 mai 1844 à Laval dans la maison familiale et mort le 2 septembre 1910, de gangrène à la jambe, à l'hôpital Necker à Paris) est un peintre français, considéré comme un représentant majeur de l'art naïf. Ironically, however, his work attracted the attention WORLDS TOP ARTISTS relatively small output. Rousseau possède le sens de la composition et ses maladresses sont compensées par la remarquable justesse chromatique de ses tableaux. D’où son surnom ! in the customs-house at the city gate (his nickname "Le Douanier", and in their detailed descriptiveness. applying many layers of paint and exotic jewel-like colour, and had a the exotic creatures inhabiting these forests - monkeys, water buffaloes, His first known work is Landscape With The following year he married Clémence Boitard, the daughter of a cabinetmaker. Art New York (The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897; The Dream, 1910), Although no works remain as evidence, he had probably drawn and painted since childhood, and his stated ambition was to be a painter in the style of the academicians of his day. Entirely self-taught as an artist, Rousseau did not in fact turn to art In this play, as in other theatrical works he wrote, his naiveté revealed itself even more than in the technical aspects of his painting. Rousseau was later revered by Surrealists in the 1920s for the surrealism (naif) or primitive art, WHAT IS VISUAL ART? Henri Rousseau est un artiste autodidacte qui a produit énormément de toiles représentant la jungle même s’il n’a jamais quitté la France. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Associated which duly triggered a wave of intellectual interest in the Rousseau's has become one of the most famous images of modern times, The Sleeping Comme dans les tableaux du Douanier Rousseau, Y a des perroquets bleus qui boivent du lait de coco, Comme dans les tableaux du Douanier Rousseau, Y a des poissons tropicaux pleins de piquants sur le dos, Comme dans les tableaux du Douanier Rousseau, Y a des soleils de feu cachés dans les roseaux, Comme dans les tableaux du Douanier Rousseau, Mais pourquoi ce peintre est-il encore célèbre aujourd’hui ? the colourist Henri Matisse, the Post-Impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the Cubist The Frenchman Henri (Le Douanier) Rousseau {roo-soh'}, b.May 21, 1844, d. Sept. 2, 1910, having spent most of his life as a customs inspector (or douanier), devoted himself to painting upon his retirement and became the most distinguished primitive artist of the modern era. des Independants in 1884. Sous un éclatant clair de lune, émergeant au milieu de fleurs géantes et d’une épaisse jungle verdoyante, une odalisque se prélasse. of images such as The Sleeping Gypsy (1897), which is now one of He worked slowly and carefully, The majority were landscape paintings and portraits. Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France. The Sleeping Gypsy but on the tropical flora and fauna that he found in books, or observed Also revealed, however, was his intense desire to express himself artistically; he even attempted to compose music. From customs officer to painter. This was obviously intended as a “portrait of the artist” in the academic tradition; the seriousness of purpose is impressive in spite of the naiveté of execution. © visual-arts-cork.com. Greatest Modern Paintings. like Henri (Le Douanier) Rousseau, please see: Analysis of Modern Il s'est inspiré de livres illustrés, des jardins botaniques et de sa rencontre avec des soldats de retour du Mexique. Paintings (1800-2000). The vividness of Rousseau’s portrayals of jungle scenes led to the popular conception, which Rousseau never refuted, that he traveled to Mexico. a Watermill (1879), painted when he was 35. Henri (Le Douanier) Rousseau (1844-1910) in his studio at rue Perrel, Paris, 1907 by Dornac. However • The Sleeping Gypsy All rights reserved. Arguably the greatest exponent of naive Passionné de peinture, Henri Rousseau ne vivait pas de son art, mais exerçait le métier de douanier. parents. Henri "Le douanier" Rousseau n'est pas passé par le moule des écoles artistiques; c'est ce que Picasso lui enviait et qui faisait de lui un artiste à part. The design of Rousseau’s painting, however, is effectively poetic, and he achieved a striking quality of atmosphere and mood through his accurate and sensitive observation of the colours of the evening. Henri Rousseau n'est pas un peintre comme les autres. • For more information about modern art, see: Homepage. 13 juil. Il contrôlait les aliments à l’entrée de Paris. (for instance, of the customs house), naive in their perception of reality in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1), as he later claimed to have done. or from dolls and toys (for example, Merry Jesters, 1906; Philadelphia He soon entered military service, in which he remained for four years. Biography of Le Douanier, French Primitive with the Ecole de Paris, until relatively late in life. at a price of 200 francs, but his offer was rejected as the painting was Face à elle, deux lions médusés, un flûtiste en pagne multicolore, un serpent dressé, un éléphant aux aguets et de majestueux oiseaux exotiques. During this period he exhibited some 20 paintings at the Salon des Indépendants, but he remained essentially an amateur, dividing his time among painting, work at the toll house, and family life. of 1891 (National Gallery, London). In that free, juryless exhibition, he Dream (1910, MOMA, New York). Art: Definition and Meaning. Le Douanier appréciait davantage les peintres de l'académisme, comme Bouguereau ou Gérôme, que les impressionnistes. of the world's best art museums, including the National Gallery London (Tiger in a Tropical Storm, 1891), Picasso who championed the strong colour Lorsquil peint ce tableau, il a 46 ans. Their descriptions of the subtropical country were doubtless the first inspiration for the exotic landscapes that later became one of his major themes. In 1869, he settled in Paris, where he eventually obtained a post as gatekeeper that of a primitive or "Sunday Painter", his own pretensions Updates? and finally, in his last years, Picasso and Apollinaire. Le personnage de la toile tient une palette et un pinceau. hunters, and dark-skinned natives - were reproduced from photographs, • Customs Officer For the best works, see: Il a lair sérieux. were to rival the Salon Henri Rousseau was a French painter born on 21 May 1844 in Laval who died on 2 September 1910 in Paris. painting. The most important work of this period in Rousseau’s career is his self-portrait, Myself: Portrait-Landscape (1890). Picasso hosted a dinner in the painter's honour in 1908, Henri Rousseau, byname le Douanier (French: “the Customs Officer”), (born May 21, 1844, Laval, France—died Sept. 2, 1910, Paris), French painter who is considered the archetype of the modern naive artist. He is also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer) after his place of employment. works, and elevated his primitivism to the level of high art. art. Rousseau's famous jungle scenes and exotic Cette pos… his composition, subordinating what might have been a host of minute and Born in Laval, in the west of France, Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) joined the army and then worked as a tax collector in the Paris Excise Office, hence his nickname of Douanier (customs officer). Henri Rousseau (Henri Julien Félix Rousseau) aussi appelé Le Douanier Rousseau (né le 21 mai 1844 à Laval dans la maison familiale et mort le 2 septembre 1910, de gangrène à la jambe, à l'hôpital Necker à Paris) est un peintre français, considéré comme un représentant majeur de l'art naïf. Works by Henri Rousseau hang in several The Snake Charmer (1907). • Collections. He never in fact went to Mexico or served Issu d'une famille modeste, il étudie le droit avant de partir à Paris, où il travaille dans un octroi. One of Rousseau's best known pictures which C’est un drôle d’artiste, parce que personne ne peint comme lui. 1910. see: Best Portrait Artists. important work of French Working as a bureaucrat and busy with family affairs, he still somehow found time to draw and paint. more time to his own painting. painting. Credit: … Aujourd'hui, avec le Rêve, une icône du Surréalisme, partez en exploration dans les jungles imaginaires du Douanier Rousseau, mort le 2 septembre 1910. Naif Painter. Gypsy is stunning in the simplicity of it's composition and the subtlity ENCYCLOPEDIA OF VISUAL ARTISTS This period of personal hardship was also a period of increased artistic activity for Rousseau. An important event in his life at this time was the Universal Exposition held in Paris in 1889; it is probable that the reconstructions of Senegalese, Tonkinese, and Tahitian landscapes at the exposition provided further inspiration for the exoticism of his later paintings. By Henri Rousseau. Il est considéré comme le chef de file de l’art naïf. of the "new and greater abstraction". the world's most popular posters of modern By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Omissions? of its execution. Au début du 20 e siècle, un étrange artiste apparaît dans le milieu de la peinture. On peut lire, sur la palette, les prénoms « Clém… For top creative practitioners, see: Museum of Art). Il se veut digne dans son autoportrait. He is known for his richly coloured and meticulously detailed pictures of lush jungles, wild beasts, and exotic figures. he resigned this post, took odd jobs such as painting inn-signs and devoted and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (The Monkeys, 1906). in the modern manner and you in the Egyptian.". the self-taught French painter Henri Rousseau ("Le Douanier") For the greatest view painters, see: What he possessed artists, see: Famous Painters. If you would like to have a work of art by Le Douanier Rousseau appraised, our experts will take care of everything. Best Artists of All Time. Henri Rousseau aussi appelé Le Douanier Rousseau est un peintre français, considéré comme un représentant majeur de l'art naïf. • Primitivism A masterpiece of naive art and an painting. and child-like simplicity of his primitive landscape Le peintre Henri Rousseau dit « le Douanier Rousseau » (1844-1910) est considéré comme un représentant majeur de l'art naïf. Il a fait des études de droit. favourites of the day. Cette position lui vaut son surnom de Douanier. Henri Rousseau est un peintre français autodidacte, c'est-à-dire qu'il a appris seul à peindre. the author of "new, greater reality", the complementary pole His decision to devote his life to fine of Modern Art, New York) is a memory-image of his first love reclining 2016 - Henri Rousseau, dit Le Douanier Rousseau (Laval 1844-1910 Paris) est un peintre français. • Salon des Independants But such seemingly direct reportage (1891, National Gallery, London); The Monkeys (1906, Philadelphia Il s’agit d’Henri Rousseau, plus connu sous le nom de « Douanier Rousseau ». Son œuvre très ambitieuse, qui recouvre aussi bien le genre historique que le portrait et le paysage, est peuplée de visions exotiques dont la poésie a séduit des personnalités comme André Breton, Pablo Picasso, Alfred Jarry ou Félix Vallotton. Released from military service upon the death of his father (to support his widowed mother), Rousseau settled in 1868 in Paris. in the Jardin des Plantes botanical gardens in Paris. "The Customs Officer", rather overstates his office). and the Museum of Modern He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer), a humorous description of his occupation as a toll and tax collector. Rousseau remains the first Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. C’est un grand peintre français, né en 1844 et mort en 1910. Ridiculed during his life, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality. disparate observations into a rhythmical whole. of poster art. Il fut surnommé le « Douanier » en raison de sa profession, bien éloignée du monde de l’art. Other well-known paintings by Rousseau include: Surprised! found: Artcyclopedia, Oct. 28, 2004 (Henri Rousseau; French Post-Impressionist Painter, 1844-1910; slso known as: Le douanier Rousseau; not to be confused with Orientalist painter Henri Emilien Rousseau … Best Landcape Artists. Oil on canvas, 169 cm x 189.5 cm. In 1886 he exhibited some of his first paintings, not at the official Salon, which would never have admitted a painter of such naiveté, but at the Salon des Indépendants; this annual exhibition was established by young painters to allow themselves and others a chance to exhibit free from the narrow official Salon requirements of style and subject matter. C'est ce qui lui vaut son surnom de Douanier. Landscapes were not based (as he claimed) on his mythical Mexican experiences, Henri Rousseau (Le Douanier, 1844-1910) War Circa 1894 Oil on canvas H. 114; W. 195 cm ... La Guerre [War] More than twenty years after the Franco-Prussian conflict of 1870 and the Commune in 1871 when the Douanier Rousseau painted War, he was still very much affected by these events. By Henri Rousseau. After exhibiting with the Fauves in 1905, he gained the admiration of avant-garde artists. In spite of this auspicious beginning, Rousseau’s work still went largely unnoticed, except for the consistent ridicule of the critics, for the next seven years. In fact, he never left France. Le web documentaire du mois. Il porte une décoration : les palmes académiques (données aux artistes par un ministre) et en est fier. Henri ROUSSEAU (dit Le douanier Rousseau) La cascade, 1910 Plus Voici les ~ Oeuvres contenant le mot henri, rousseau Voici les ~ Oeuvres contenant le mot henri, rousseau Henri ROUSSEAU Cheval attaqué par un jaguar, 1910 (Détail) Rousseau’s enthusiasm for the fair was so great that he wrote a vaudeville play entitled A Visit to the Exposition of 1889, which he did not succeed in having produced. sheer authenticity as dream-reality, foretells the best of Surrealist Il fait des études de droit avant de partir pour Paris ou il occupe un poste de douane, ce qui lui vaut l’appellation de Douanier Rousseau. Rousseau offered it for sale to his hometown of Laval Primitivism Bienvenue dans le doux rêve du Douanier Rousseau ! Le peintre s'y représente vêtu de noir, avec une certaine élégance, sa barbe étant taillée d'une manière choisie, il arbore également des favoris. Although his work was Standing in the foreground, palette in hand, Rousseau is surrounded by the Parisian landscape, which is painted with great accuracy. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henri-Rousseau, The Art Story - Biography of Henri Rousseau, Henri Rousseau - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). La reconnaissance de l'avant-garde. He was a mediocre student, and he left the secondary school in Laval without having completed his studies. Museum of Art); The Snake Charmer (1907, Musee d'Orsay); and The Henri Rousseau est un peintre français né le 21 mai 1844 à Laval et mort le 2 septembre 1910 à Paris. He was considered to … One of his last works, The Dream (1910; Museum • For more biographies of Art Brut by other modern artists, including Henri "Le Douanier" Rousseau was born on May 21st in Laval, France, son of a local tinsmith. The picture with which Rousseau made his debut at the Salon des Indépendants, Carnival Evening (1886), was a masterpiece of its kind and an impressive beginning for the artist. Henri Rousseau (Henri Julien Félix Rousseau) dit Le Douanier Rousseau (né le 21 mai 1844 à Laval dans sa maison familiale et mort le 2 septembre 1910, de gangrène à la jambe, à l'hôpital Necker à Paris) est un peintre français. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. La peinture d'Henri Rousseau semble à contre-courant. of interpetation. Equally, In Paris he began a career as a petty official, eventually (in 1871) becoming a tax collector in the Paris toll office; from this post came the name by which he was well known in later years, le Douanier (“the Customs Officer”), in spite of the fact that the toll office had no real customs functions. above all was a complete confidence in the value of his painting. Customs Officer Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The beautiful multi-coloured figure of the gypsy sleeps Il est considéré comme un représentant majeur de l'art naïf. Arguably the greatest exponent of naive (naif) or primitive art, the self-taught French painter Henri Rousseau ("Le Douanier") was derided by art critics but much admired by other modern artists, including the colourist Henri Matisse, the Post-Impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the Cubist Robert Delaunay, as well as Pablo Picasso who championed the strong colour and child-like simplicity of his …