Also at the National Gallery of Art (see "Art I'm Seeing #6 ~ 07 JUL 06) is an exhibition of the works of Henri Rousseau. The show is titled "Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris," but it's really far more comprehensive than simply a collection of his tropical-themed paintings. Paintings that anyone who's taken any art survey course would readily associate with the artist.
As such, I really had never given him much thought. This exhibition, which I entered innocently enough, grabbed me and made me re-examine my prejudices.
Rousseau was an ambitious late bloomer in the art world of late 19th century Paris. He never took a lesson in painting and only began to explore his ideas in the medium in his forties after spending most of his life in a monotonous civil servant post. Yet, he set his sights on the world of the Parisian Salon exhibitions, and spent the rest of his life seeking their respect and recognition.
But his desire and fascinatingly profound technique never really penetrated the hearts of the establishment. Instead, he quickly became a favorite of the avant-garde. Chief among his admirers was Pablo Picasso, who both praised Rousseau and purchased his paintings for his private collection.
While the show explores many genre of Rousseau's paintings, in all fairness to it's title, it does both begin and end with examples of his jungle paintings. Having never actually visited a jungle, Rousseau relied on other sources to form his images, and here's where the exhibit really shines. In an effort to make real this aspect of Rousseau's world there is a spectacular display of covers from the turn of the century Parisian tabloid "Le Petit Journal" depicting both African scenes and African fauna. There are two utterly magnificent bronze sculptures by contemporary artist Emmanuel Frémiet (one of a gorilla abducting a nearly naked woman, and the other of a she-bear attacking a nearly naked man who holds the lifeless body of a cub noosed and dangling from his belt. Both are so amazingly dramatic and visceral that I hope someone does an exhibition of Frémiet's work some time soon!). Also this amazing taxidermy sculpture of the lion attacking the antelope presented here (above).
Given the distinct similarity between the model, which was first displayed in 1889 at the opening of the Zoological Galleries of the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris and the detail from the painting "The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope," 1905, it seems clear that this image was his inspiration. In addition, the catalogue records Rousseau's description of the painting: "The hungry lion throws itself upon the antelope, devours him; anxiously the panther awaits the moment that he too can claim his share. Birds of prey have torn a strip of flesh from the poor animal that is shedding a tear! The sun sets."
Far from the end of his prolific career, but still clearly shunned by the academy that he so longed to be a part of, I see a theme here. Monsieur Rousseau...the antelope?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment