Sky Arte Documentary Explores Rousseau's Mysterious Genius

A documentary titled "Rousseau il Doganiere ‒ Un pittore nella giungla" will air on Sky Arte HD on Thursday, March 22, 2018, exploring the life and career of Henri Julien Félix Rousseau, known as Le Douanier Rousseau. Despite being self-taught and starting to paint at age 40, Rousseau is considered a precursor of artistic modernity, influencing masters like Picasso, Apollinaire, Kandinsky, and de Chirico. His works, characterized by a naïve style with lush, mysterious natural scenes, embraced abstraction, dreamlike and unconscious elements, and rejected realism and perspective. The documentary aims to unravel the mystery of his talent, as Rousseau never left Paris and had no academic training. Sky Arte's website is powered by Artribune, which manages its content and digital interface.