http://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/charles-saatchis-great-masterpieces-rousseau-captured-jungle/
His inspiration came from illustrations in children’s books and the botanical gardens in Paris. For his animal subjects, he studied taxidermy tableaux of wild beasts. He also listened to the stories of soldiers he had befriended during his army days, particularly their expedition to Mexico in the 1860s.
The Sleeping Gypsy, painted in 1897, was first exhibited the next year in the 13th Salon des Indépendants that also showcased other Academy-rejected artists, including Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Paul Gauguin. Rousseau would exhibit regularly in this salon and, though his work was far from prominently featured, it gathered a committed following over the years.
The Sleeping Gypsy, painted in 1897, was first exhibited the next year in the 13th Salon des Indépendants that also showcased other Academy-rejected artists, including Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Paul Gauguin. Rousseau would exhibit regularly in this salon and, though his work was far from prominently featured, it gathered a committed following over the years.
The Sleeping Gypsy is a fantastical depiction of a wandering woman, overcome with fatigue and sleeping deeply, dressed in brightly coloured tribal stripes, lying beside her mandolin, as the moon shines brightly in the clear night sky. A lion picks up the woman’s scent, muses over, yet does not devour her or disturb the stillness of the poetic moment.
Picasso was one of the first to recognise Rousseau’s genius. Supposedly, he passed him on the street one day when Rousseau was trying to sell his paintings as canvases to be painted over. So struck was Picasso by these intoxicating works, that he threw a banquet in Rousseau’s honour attended by many influential figures.
Nonetheless, Rousseau never made money from his art, having to supplement his small pension with part-time jobs – he often played the violin in the street, and produced a number of covers for Le Petit Journal.
In the same month that he exhibited The Dream, at the Salon des Indépendants, he suffered an infection in his leg which he ignored. Soon after, he was admitted to hospital, where they found his leg to be gangrenous. They operated, but he died from a blood clot in September 1910.
Picasso was one of the first to recognise Rousseau’s genius. Supposedly, he passed him on the street one day when Rousseau was trying to sell his paintings as canvases to be painted over. So struck was Picasso by these intoxicating works, that he threw a banquet in Rousseau’s honour attended by many influential figures.
Nonetheless, Rousseau never made money from his art, having to supplement his small pension with part-time jobs – he often played the violin in the street, and produced a number of covers for Le Petit Journal.
In the same month that he exhibited The Dream, at the Salon des Indépendants, he suffered an infection in his leg which he ignored. Soon after, he was admitted to hospital, where they found his leg to be gangrenous. They operated, but he died from a blood clot in September 1910.
For a man who was an outsider and had spent the majority of his working life as a menial government official, an illustrious group of friends stood around the grave at his funeral, including the painter Paul Signac, the sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, and Guillaume Apollinaire, the poet, who wrote his epitaph. Despite being ridiculed by almost all critics throughout his career (his flat, almost childlike style was firmly disparaged) Rousseau came to be recognised as a selftaught master. He accepted that his was an unconventional technique, and he constantly aspired to receive acceptance and praise. It was his non-conformist reputation that made him such an idol to so many subsequent artists of all kinds.
The poet Sylvia Plath, for instance, was a great admirer, drawing inspiration for her own work. The singer Joni Mitchell wrote The Jungle Line after a Rousseau painting, and his pictures have been a source of inspiration for many films.
He was a risk-taker throughout his life, despite having spent it in relative poverty. At the age of 63, an acquaintance convinced him to participate in a minor bank fraud. It is unclear whether he was tricked or went along willingly, but either way, his defence relied on his being unworldly, and this led to his release.
The poet Sylvia Plath, for instance, was a great admirer, drawing inspiration for her own work. The singer Joni Mitchell wrote The Jungle Line after a Rousseau painting, and his pictures have been a source of inspiration for many films.
He was a risk-taker throughout his life, despite having spent it in relative poverty. At the age of 63, an acquaintance convinced him to participate in a minor bank fraud. It is unclear whether he was tricked or went along willingly, but either way, his defence relied on his being unworldly, and this led to his release.
Perhaps Rousseau truly was a spirit of the wondrous jungle scenes he magically portrayed.
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