French post-impressionist painter Henri Rousseau was often mocked by his critics for ''childlike'' composition and for making art that showed his lack of formal education.
Also known as primitivism, pseudo-naïve art, or faux naïve art, naïve art is defined as visual art created by a person who lacks formal education in art. Naïve paintings typically feature childlike simplicity, awkward perspective, and flat colors.
Rousseau was a key figure in the movement and developed his own style that many thought reflected his lack of academic training. Featuring incorrect proportions, one-sided perspective, and unnatural colors, Rousseau’s body of work was criticized by many. For other people, however, it evoked a sense of mystery and eccentricity. In fact, some art historians say that the term naïve art originated in 1885 when artist Paul Signac set about organizing exhibitions of Rousseau’s work in a number of esteemed galleries.
Despite the criticisms,
In 1886, Rousseau showed four of his paintings at the Salon des Indépendants, the primary exhibition venue for the Post-Impressionists. His work was ridiculed though, with one critic remarking, “Monsieur Rousseau paints with his feet, with a blindfold over his eyes.” However, that didn’t discourage Rousseau from pursuing painting, and he continued to show his work at Salon des Indépendants almost every year until his death in 1910.
It is both inspiring and heart-wrenching how despite the feedback he received, he had the courage to take art seriously, that is, by age 49 he retired from his job as a tax collector to work on his paintings full-time.
The artist claimed he needed “no other teacher than nature,” and pasted all his negative reviews into his personal scrapbook.
Painted in 1891, Surprised! Tiger in a Tropical Storm is Rousseau’s first jungle painting. It was exhibited at Salon des Indépendants the same year and features a wide-eyed, tooth-bearing tiger emerging from the grass. The backdrop features lightning flashes, rain, wind-swept tree branches, and a dark sky to indicate the storm. This energetic scene was ridiculed by critics, but today it is celebrated as one of his best works.
Displayed alongside works by Henri Matisse and André Derainat at the Salon d’Automne in 1905, some critics compared The Hungry Lion to cave paintings. However, it was positioned among the leading artists of the avant-garde (whose expressive use of vibrant colors became known as Fauvism) and was backed by his admirers, Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire.
Despite his popularity among his fellow artists, Rousseau couldn’t seem to win the respect of the art world and lived in poverty until he died from an infected leg wound in 1910.
(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons via My Modern Met)