Henri Rousseau

Welcome to the ATUII Henri Rousseau thread.

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Goat Smith wrote:

Eddie wrote:


The Sleeping Gypsy- Henri Rousseau.

Eddie wrote:


The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, 1905- Henri Rousseau.

The Snake Charmer, 1907- Henri Rousseau.

The Dream, 1910- Henri Rousseau.

Self Portrait of the Artist with a Lamp- Henri Rousseau.

Goat Smith wrote:

Concerning ghosts:

Ambroise Vollard: "No, I don't believe in them."
Rousseau: "Well, I do. I've seen some. There was one that persecuted me for quite a while."
Vollard: "Indeed? What did it look like?"
Rousseau: "Just an ordinary man...He used to come and defy me when I was on duty at the octroi. He knew I couldn't leave my post, so he used to put out his tongue or make long noses at me and then let off a great fart."
Vollard: "But what makes you think he was a ghost?"
Rousseau: "Monsieur Apollinaire told me so."

Eddie wrote:

Patrick O'Brian's Picasso biography relates how Picasso and his chums rather cruelly gave a dinner in honour of Rousseau, celebrating him as a great artist. They were taking the piss, but I think Henri had the last laugh.

Goat Smith wrote:

I, actually, do not think Picasso was mocking him in any way. Maybe some of the party-goers were, but not Picasso.

I cannot remember the actual quote, but I believe Rousseau made a toast to Picasso and the Revival of the Egyptian style of Art, while relegating himself to the Modern style of Art.

Catherine wrote:

Eddie wrote:


The Dream, 1910- Henri Rousseau.

We used to have an Indonesian painting that was very similar to this - it's one of the most beautiful paintings I've ever seen.......I don't know where it is now.....my mother probably gave it to my bother - if I find a copy of it, I'll post it.....I'll ask my Mum about it - you should see it - it's stunning

but this picture is stunning too!!!

Goat Smith wrote:

Roussea had imitators even before his paintings were sought after and worth anything, monetarily.

Guacamayo wrote:

I love Rousseau. It makes me dream the way I dreamt when I was a child... but being older...
When I was a child I remember someone gave us as a present from a trip some transparent plastics that contained colored plants and animals made of paper (kind of naïve I remember them). They were fantastic.



Goat Smith wrote:
I, actually, do not think Picasso was mocking him in any way. Maybe some of the party-goers were, but not Picasso.

I cannot remember the actual quote, but I believe Rousseau made a toast to Picasso and the Revival of the Egyptian style of Art, while relegating himself to the Modern style of Art.

I read that quote recently:
Said Henri Rousseau to Picasso. “We are the two great painters of the age. You paint in the 'Egyptian' style, I in the modern.”

Dharma Wheel wrote:

Eddie wrote:
Patrick O'Brian's Picasso biography relates how Picasso and his chums rather cruelly gave a dinner in honour of Rousseau, celebrating him as a great artist. They were taking the piss, but I think Henri had the last laugh.


For a wonderful description of this party, read Gertrude Stein's The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas.

Has anyone noticed that there are hidden faces in the vase within Rousseau's Sleeping gypsy? You can only see them from certain angles and they change. There are at least four in there. Its incredible.

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Hi Leon.

Do you have the IT skills to post a blow-up of this detail of The Sleeping Gypsy?

I don't, sadly. If you don't either, some other poster might kindly oblige.

Hi, not sure if a digital blow up of the detail would help. I adore Rousseau and had a print of this picture as a gift. You can only see the shifting faces from certain angles in a good light and they actually change - I think he must have done this on purpose. He really was a genius. However if you go to this URL http://www.widedesktopwallpapers.net/art/images/sleeping_gypsy_rousseau.jpg and then blow up the magnification to about 200% (I used google chrome at 212% or thereabouts) and then go down to the vase and look at the bottom of the jug a large skull is clearly visible, sorry my IT skills aren't too good. At the neck of the jug is a domed building or a man in outstretched position. Altogether I have seen around a half dozen different faces in the jug. You can see them clearly one time then the light changes and they disappear. But if you go back sometimes you catch the exact same thing so it seems they are really there. The skull, about a quarter of the total height of the vase, positioned centrally in the bottom third of the jug is the easiest to see for me.

Leon

PS Any online picture of the gypsy should do, that was just the first one I found that one on google.

leon2012 wrote:PS Any online picture of the gypsy should do, that was just the first one I found that one on google.

...nope. I wanted to see the faces, but no...however, you can see the face in the moon without magnification

eddie wrote:^Goat Smith wrote:

...something about this painting reminds me of Frida Kahlo's stiff, formal style...not the background, but the figure of the woman:

'The Flamingos'- Rousseau.

This youtuber seems to think Rousseau is a good idea to go with Heitor Villa-Lobos music
(https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWelleszTheatre/search?query=villa-lobos)




 
Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!) (1891) was the first of many jungle scenes for which Rousseau is best known (wiki)






Negro Attacked by a Jaguar (1910)