How to Paint a Jungle (Without Ever Seeing One)
Edition #29 - This naive painter became a self-taught genius
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How to Paint a Jungle (Without Ever Seeing One)
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was considered a naive painter during his lifetime. But when prominent artists like Picasso and Matisse endorsed his work, he came to be known as a self-taught genius.
The avant-garde squad found Rousseau’s paintings exceptionally original and breathtakingly fresh.
Not so long ago, I wrote an article 5 Bizarre Dream Paintings That Play With Your Psyche where I was introduced to Rousseau’s oeuvre. It kept me hooked and I have been meaning to write about him ever since.
Rousseau’s fascination with jungles, full moon night and cohabitation of humans with carnivorous animals are imaginative, dreamy, and breathtakingly fresh.
Let’s venture into the dreamy and wild world of Rousseau.
Do you know that Rousseau never went out of Paris? His inspiration for drawing jungles came from visiting botanical gardens in Paris, reading children’s illustrative books, and interpreting his own dreams.
The Dream (1910) is one such painting that instantly teleports you to Rousseau’s world of imagination.
A dense, lush flora and fauna with a sparkling moon.
A naked woman is reclining on a vibrant burgundy sofa. Notice the pinkish hues on her face. To accentuate the interpretation, Rousseau wrote a poem:
Yadwigha in a beautiful dream
Having fallen gently to sleep
Heard the sounds of a reed instrument
Played by a well-intentioned [snake] charmer.
Yadwigha was a Polish woman and Rousseau’s muse.
The muse dominates the scene and symbolizes desire and eroticism. She points to a dark-skinned color gypsy musician, who seems to be lost in the depth of the jungle. He plays flute and wears a florescent colored skirt.
You might roll your eyes and stare at the painting for a few more minutes when you notice animals other than the lions. An elephant, a white and black bird with an orange underbelly, a monkey and a snake are all gazing at the viewer.
Take a moment to appreciate the different shades of greens.
A flash of light in a thunderous sky, trees and plants flowing across the direction of the wind and a growling tiger. This is how Tiger in a Tropical Storm (1891) was painted.
Rousseau painted the streaks of rain after the painting was completed. A big gamble indeed, but it did pay off!
The tiger looks misplaced. The tail is seemingly long and the stripes on it don't match the stripes on its body. And don’t even get me started on the whiskers. I don’t blame Rousseau. This is how I’d imagine a tiger to be without ever seeing one and reading about them only in books.
A rumble of thunder is so loud that even the tiger seems petrified.
To feed your creativity, Rousseau leaves us with another set of jungle images — The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope (1905) and The Repast of the Lion (1907).
The lion enjoys a meal in a lush green moonlit jungle with drooping giant yellow and blue flowers.
Rousseau was also fascinated by wandering gypsies; the Romany people were called Bohemians in France. And that’s why he made various depictions of dark-skinned people in his artworks.
Scout Attacked By a Tiger (1904) depicts a gypsy attacked by a tiger in the bushes. The rider’s horse is frenzied by the feral cat and moves upwards to protect his master.
Rousseau conveys that there is no harmony between the human and animal world. When the two collide, violence and mayhem ensue.
Before you go, I published a 5-page digital file to fast-track your art writing using my resources. Here’s how you can pick your free copy.