Henri Rousseau: Imagination as Escape from Reality

Henri Rousseau, born in Laval on May 21, 1844, was a self-taught post-impressionist painter who began his artistic career after age 40. Nicknamed "Le Douanier Rousseau" by playwright Alfred Jarry due to his past as a soldier, Rousseau used imagination to compensate for a mundane life. His exotic jungle scenes, inspired by stories from convicts he met in prison, never left France. Rejected by the official Salon in 1884, he joined the Société des Artistes Indépendants founded by Seurat, Redon, and Signac, but still faced harsh criticism for his naive style. His painting "La Guerre" (1894, now at Musée d'Orsay) personifies war as a fierce woman on a black horse, symbolizing rejection of violence but lacking technical skill. "Le Rêve" (1910, at MoMA NYC) depicts a nude woman in a lush jungle, blurring reality and dream. Rousseau died in poverty on September 2, 1910, in a hospital bed. Posthumous recognition came from Apollinaire, Gauguin, Braque, and Picasso, who admired the symbolism and spirituality of his work.