Henri Rousseau - Artist Biography
Henri Rousseau is a French Post-Impressionist painter who lived from 1844-1910. He is most famed as the foremost artist of the so-called Naive school. His nickname is "Le Douanier," which means "Customs Officer." In fact, this is a job title to which Rousseau never even rose while working at the Paris Customs Office for over 20 years.
Rousseau retired from this job in 1893 to pursue art, which was just a hobby until that point. He attempted to paint in a traditional style, and was unable to match the requisite techniques. His work was widely mocked, but Rousseau carried on and developed his own style. It was ultimately embraced by members of the avant-garde precisely for its innocence, simplicity, and charm--hence the moniker Naive.
Rousseau painted a number of jungle scenes,
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which are his most famous works. There are also harbingers of surrealism in many of his works, as dream images preside over canvases populated with wild animals--often animals that would never actually exist together in any ecosystem on earth. Works like The Sleeping Gypsy and Surprised! Storm in the Forest have a haunting quality to them that arrests the viewer at first glance.
Poster Checkout has an extensive inventory of Rousseau's best work available at incredible discounts. Our website features images of all of the various works we have access to, and we can even sort them by size or color to help you find exactly what you need.
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