The Sleeping Gypsy

Henri Rousseau, also known as "Le Douanier" (a humorous jibe at his occupation as a toll collector), was a self-taught artist. This fantastical depiction of a lion musing over a sleeping woman on a moonlit night is one of the most recognizable artworks of modern times. Rousseau's flat, seemingly childish style was disparaged by many critics; people were often shocked by his work or ridiculed it, but he became influential to several generations of vanguard artists, starting with Picasso and including Jean Hugo, Léger, Beckmann, and the Surrealists.