Henri Rousseau (1844-1910)

Self Portrait - 1890Henri Rousseau was born in 1844 in Laval, France and lived in France his whole life. He lived from 1844-1910 (he was 66 years old).

French Post-Impressionist painter.

World Map

FranceNaperville

The Equatorial Jungle - 1909He had a great imagination.

He liked drawing and music.

He taught himself how to paint at age 40.

The Louvre, Paris, FranceThe Louvre is the largest most famous art museum in the world.

Exotic Landscape - 1908Henri spent a lot of time in botanical gardens.

Henri’s paintings are a combination of things he saw and things he dreamed about.

He liked to paint from his imagination.

Initially, no one took him seriously.

Carnival Evening - 1886One of the first paintings Henri showed was this painting: Carnival Evening.

Most people thought his work looked childish.

Camille Pissarro thought it was great and loved the beautiful colors he used.

Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!) - 1891Famous for his jungle paintings.

Many Shades of GreenHe loved to use different shades of green in his jungle paintings.

Rousseau’s favorite color.

The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope - 1905People liked the colors and perspective he used in his paintings. Perspective is the way an artist uses different sizes of objects and where they are placed in a painting.

Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo - 1908Henri invented his own way of working with size, scale, and placement. Things look like they are floating.Plants appear much larger than the animals.

Quiz Time• Who is our artist of the day?• Where did he live? Country? City?• How old was he when he started painting?• What is the name of the most famous art museum?• Where did he get his ideas to create his paintings?• What is an area of land filled with flowers and different kinds of

plants called?• Did people like his paintings in the beginning?• What did they call his paintings?• What kind of paintings is he most famous for?• What was his favorite color?• CHALLENGE: What is the word for the way an artist uses

different sizes of objects and where they are placed in a painting?

Art Project

• Use your imagination• Jungle scene• Add plants and flowers• Different shades of green