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This Artist Will Take You Into a Jungle With His Paintings
Edited By: Violet Tar

Born in 1844, Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was born to a family of tinsmiths in the French town of Laval, Mayenne, but enjoyed the arts of music and drawing at a young age. Despite his artistic inclinations, as an adult he found himself working a tax collector, which contributed to his nickname, Le Douanier (the customs officer). As he grew older, he began to throw himself more and more into his art. His painting career truly began to pick up when he was in his 40’s, and he began exhibiting his pieces more regularly.

His artworks focused on scenes in the jungle and he was honored for his style and brilliance by renowned artists like Pablo Picasso. While his work received much criticism for its naive and primitive style, Rousseau is well-recognized in the art world as a self-made and self-taught genius whose paintings continue to influence and inspire avant-garde and impressionist artists. These paintings are sure to light a spark within you!

1. Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised), 1981, now in the National Gallery, London, England

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised), 1981, now in the National Gallery, London, England
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(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

2. The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897, now in the Museum of Modern Art

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897, now in the Museum of Modern Art
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(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

3. A Carnival Evening, 1886, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, A Carnival Evening, 1886, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

4. Self Portrait, 1890, now in the National Gallery, Prague

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, Self Portrait, 1890, now in the National Gallery, Prague

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

5. Le Moulin (The Mill), 1896, now in the Musée Maillol, Paris

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, Le Moulin (The Mill), 1896, now in the Musée Maillol, Paris

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

6. Boy on the Rocks, 1895–1897, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, Boy on the Rocks, 1895–1897, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

7. La tour Eiffel peinte par Henri Rousseau, 1898, now in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, La tour Eiffel peinte par Henri Rousseau, 1898, now in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

8. The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, 1905, now in the Fondation Beyeler, Riehen, Basel, Switzerland

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, 1905, now in the Fondation Beyeler, Riehen, Basel, Switzerland

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

9. The Dream, 1910, now in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, The Dream, 1910, now in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, NY, US

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

10. Le Pientre et son modèle (The Painter and his Model), 1884, now in the Musée National D'Art Moderne, Paris

Impressionist, Naive and primitive style paintings from 19th Century French Artist Henri Rousseau, known for his jungle scenes, landscapes and still-lifes, Le Pientre et son modèle (The Painter and his Model), 1884, now in the Musée National D'Art Moderne, Paris

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)


I remember borrowing a book containing his art. The work is amazing. If your library has a book on his work, it is well worth taking a look at.

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BigMike Loc: yerington nv

I checked out a number of his paintings online.

Very nice. Impressionist paintings are my favorite...except for maybe Hieronymus Bosch.

I guess he spent a little time in Africa.

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Glad to find out that there is someone else on OPP who is a fan of Hieronymus Bosch. Amazing artist that few have even heard of.

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

I was a fan as a teenager in the 70s.

I may have been an alcoholic and dope fiend then...but by then I could kick ass at Jeopardy too.

Amazingly, I still have a few brain cells that text each other and I've learned a lot since.

Renoir is my favorite Impressionist generally but a few of Van Gough's paintings capture the soul of the artist better than any other.

Crows Over a Cornfield literally vibrates with his mania.

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

What...uh...genre was Bosch?

Flemish school means nothing to me.

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Hieronymus Bosch
Dutch painter
Description
Description
Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work contains fantastic illustrations of religious concepts and narratives. Wikipedia
Born: 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Died: August 9, 1516, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
On view: Museo Nacional del Prado, Doge's Palace, MORE
Periods: Northern Renaissance, Renaissance, MORE
Full name: Jheronimus van Aken
Nationality: Dutch
Known for: Painting
Artworks
View 10+
The Garden of Earthly Delights (1515)
The Garden of Earthly...
1515
Hell (1504)
Hell
1504
The Haywain Triptych (1516)
The Haywain Triptych
1516

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

Triptych! Ya...as a teen I was triptych! That's why I liked Bosch!

FallenOak Loc: St George Utah

Hieronymus Bosch was also a character in mystery books by Michael Connelly. Connelly mentioned how his character was name for the artist. I got interested in the name and looked up his paintings on the internet. Really liked them. He had some that had three panels.

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The Chicago Art Institute had reproductions of several of his works and I wish I had the money to buy a few of them . Now that I do have the money, living in a double wide there isn't room for them. Yes, I guess that makes us trailer trash, and that is fine with me.
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FallenOak Loc: St George Utah

We live in a stick built but were visiting in a doublewide a few days ago and it was lots nicer than where we live. Used travel trailers for seasonal help in the past before I moved to the city because we got old.

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Actually ours is really nice, even though it is over 20 years old. It has 3 bedrooms and a computer room and two full baths, plus a front porch and back deck,both of which we put in . Most important it is on 80 acres of mountain which gives us privacy. There is also a smaller single wide which we use for guests or anyone who needs a place to stay for a while, maybe because they are out of work (which is the situation of the couple with a year old baby who are staying there now) or because they have had a flooding problem at their house or some other problem, That way we almost always have company but all the privacy we need. We are both close to 80 so it is nice to know there are people around if we need help. However, I still help the neighbors deliver kids every spring ( they have Nigerian Dwarf milking goats) amd still work with 3 boys who were abused and sexually assaulted as kids and are now with great foster parents and healing slowly. One of the boys is going to be a wonderful artist. A friend posted some of his work here with the help of LindaJoy who can tell you how to get to his work if you PM her.