Henri Rousseau, known as Le Douanier Rousseau, (born May 21, 1844, Laval, Fr.—died Sept. 2, 1910, Paris), French painter. After service in the army, he began working as a toll collector (not as a douanier, or customs officer, the epithet his friends later used) but found time to paint and draw. Completely self-taught, he exhibited some early paintings, including Carnival Evening, at the Salon des Indépendants in 1886. Like his later works, it is typical of naive art: everything is drawn literally, the clouds look solid, and the costumes receive more attention than the figures themselves. It nonetheless achieves a striking mood and mystery. In 1893 he retired to devote himself to painting, and in 1894 his War won him his first recognition by the avant-garde. His best-known works are richly coloured images of lush jungles, wild beasts, and exotic figures. He exhibited The Hungry Lion with the Fauves in 1905. He died a pauper; only after his death was his greatness recognized.
Henri Rousseau Article
Henri Rousseau summary
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Der Blaue Reiter Summary
Der Blaue Reiter, organization of artists based in Germany that contributed greatly to the development of abstract art. Neither a movement nor a school with a definite program, Der Blaue Reiter was a loosely knit organization of artists that organized group shows between 1911 and 1914. After
painting Summary
Painting, the expression of ideas and emotions, with the creation of certain aesthetic qualities, in a two-dimensional visual language. The elements of this language—its shapes, lines, colors, tones, and textures—are used in various ways to produce sensations of volume, space, movement, and light