Henri Rousseau
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (May 21, 1844 - September 2, 1910) was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer), a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector. Ridiculed during his lifetime by critics, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality. Rousseau's work exerted an extensive influence on several generations of avant-garde artists.
He was born in Laval, France, in 1844 into the family of a plumber; he was forced to work there as a small boy. He attended Laval High School as a day student and then as a boarder, after his father became a debtor and his parents had to leave the town upon the seizure of their house. Though mediocre in some of his high school subjects, Rousseau won prizes for drawing and music. After high school, he worked for a lawyer and studied law, but "attempted a small perjury and sought refuge in the army." He served four years, starting in 1863. With his father's death, Rousseau moved to Paris in 1868 to support his widowed mother as a government employee. In 1868, he married Clémence Boitard, his landlord's 15-year-old daughter, with whom he had six children (only one survived). In 1871, he was appointed as a collector of the octroi of Paris, collecting taxes on goods entering Paris. His wife died in 1888 and he married Josephine Noury in 1898. He started painting seriously in his early forties; by age 49, he retired from his job to work on his art full-time.
He was born in Laval, France, in 1844 into the family of a plumber; he was forced to work there as a small boy. He attended Laval High School as a day student and then as a boarder, after his father became a debtor and his parents had to leave the town upon the seizure of their house. Though mediocre in some of his high school subjects, Rousseau won prizes for drawing and music. After high school, he worked for a lawyer and studied law, but "attempted a small perjury and sought refuge in the army." He served four years, starting in 1863. With his father's death, Rousseau moved to Paris in 1868 to support his widowed mother as a government employee. In 1868, he married Clémence Boitard, his landlord's 15-year-old daughter, with whom he had six children (only one survived). In 1871, he was appointed as a collector of the octroi of Paris, collecting taxes on goods entering Paris. His wife died in 1888 and he married Josephine Noury in 1898. He started painting seriously in his early forties; by age 49, he retired from his job to work on his art full-time.
Rousseau claimed he had "no teacher other than nature", although he admitted he had received "some advice" from two established Academic painters, Félix Auguste Clément and Jean-Léon Gérôme. Essentially, he was self-taught and is considered to be a naïve or primitive painter.
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'Carnival Evening' by Henri Rousseau in 1886 £6.99
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'Myself, Self-portrait' by Henri Rousseau £6.99
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'Portrait of Madame M, detail' by Henri Rousseau in 1895-97 £6.99
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'The Wedding Party, detail' by Henri Rousseau in 1905 £6.99
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'A Centennial of Independence' by Henri Rousseau in 1892 £6.99
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'Dream' by Henri Rousseau £6.99
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'La Carriole du père Junier' by Henri Rousseau in 1908 £6.99
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'La Encantadora de Serpientes, detail' by Henri Rousseau in 1907 £6.99
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'Luxembourg Gardens Monument to Chopin, detail' by Henri Rousseau in 1909 £6.99
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'Meadowland' by Henri Rousseau in 1910 £6.99
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'Notre Dame, detail' by Henri Rousseau in 1909 £6.99
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'Quai d'Ivry, detail' by Henri Rousseau in 1927 £6.99
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'Scene in Bagneux on the Outskirts of Paris' by Henri Rousseau in 1909 £6.99
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'Surprised' by Henri Rousseau £6.99
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'The Pink Candle' by Henri Rousseau in 1909 £6.99
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'The Sleeping Gypsy' by Henri Rousseau in 1897 £6.99
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'The Waterfall' by Henri Rousseau in 1910 £6.99