THE WEEKEND PAINTER: The Dream by Henri Rousseau

THE DREAM by Henri Rousseau, 1910, Oil, 6′ 8″ x 9′ 9″

THIS PAINTING IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AS A HANDMADE OIL PAINTING REPRODUCTION FROM 1ST ART GALLERY: https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Henri-Julien-Rousseau/The-Dream.html

ABOUT THIS PAINTING: When he wasn’t working as a tax collector, he was the eternal weekend artist. His name was Henri Rousseau. He’s considered a post-impressionist, but in fact, carved out his own one-man niche, painting in a primitive or naive style.
Largely self-taught, he came to painting very late in life during his 40s. His paintings range from portraits, to still life, to urban landscapes. Though it’s his exotic and lush jungle scenes for which he most famous.
Some feature humans, and many animals of prey. Often there’s this emotional disconnect between this dense green paradise and the terror that exists in the foliage.
This painting, The Dream depicts a woman reclining on a divan in the middle of the jungle. In the center of the painting, stands a snake charmer playing a wind instrument. Within the vegetation is an elephant, birds perched on branches, a snake, and these two curious lions, who seem to have fallen into a trance at the sound of the music.
By Rousseau’s own description, the woman exists in a dream of her own making. “The woman asleep on the couch has been transported into the forest, listening to the sounds from the instrument of the enchanter.”
An accompanying poem written by Rousseau identifies the woman as Yadwigha, and is thought to be a former mistress. Her pose borrows from similar works by Titian, Goya and Manet.
You’ll note most of his subjects are rendered either frontally or in profile. Whether this is from naiveté, lack of training, or a conscious expression of style, it seems almost irrelevant. Artists like Picasso saw the potential for their own work and ran with it.
It’s strange, even his admirers treated him with a good natured ridicule, referring to him as Le Douanier, The Customs Agent. Rousseau, however, was confident in his own genius.
It was Picasso who said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” He might have looked to Rousseau for guidance.