Henri Rousseau
On this day in 1844 Henri Rousseau, a man with amazing imagination, was born. Throughout his life he was ridiculed by critics and the public, but leading writers and artists sought out the self-taught painter's freshness of vision. His imagination made exotic landscapes out of Paris's botanic gardens and wild beasts out of toys and photographs. Like other Naïve painters, Rousseau used a simplifying style, non-scientific perspective, and bright colors. His compositions sometimes seem to be subconscious visions; in this aspect, he anticipated the Surrealists.
Here, the artist commemorated the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the first French Republic in 1792. Peasants dance the farandole, a popular southern French dance, around three liberty trees and two female figures representing the First and Third Republics. Rousseau copied the dancers from a French magazine illustration but added waving banners, the liberty poles, and the allegorical figures. A wagon in the background is full of costumed musicians, reminiscent of parades the artist had seen. He used brilliant colors and solid forms to express the happiness of the scene symbolizing good government. To the right, the erect posture of the dignified republican leaders signals the solidity of the French Republic.
P.S. Looking for an escape from hustle and bustle of a city? Henri Rousseau invites you for a journey through his fantastic tropical landscapes. <3
P.P.S. We hope you will have a similar feast today; it is Saturday! And, if you don't have a party you can celebrate our SPRING SALE, because today you can get everything in our DailyArt Shop for -25% and in DailyArt Courses for -25%. :)