The Jungle Paintings

by Henri Rousseau

Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) never visited the tropics or saw a jungle in real life, anymore than he studied the wild animals he painted in their natural habitat. Rousseau's jungle paintings were the fantasies of a city dweller, constructed from visits to the Botanical Gardens in Paris, from books and from his vivid imagination. Nevertheless they have struck a chord with succeeding generations of viewers, offering a dream of escape from banal reality to an exotic and savage realm. In this beautiful miniature gift book the jungle paintings are reproduced in all their full, jewel-like colour, along with details highlighting the intricacy of the painter's extraordinary vision, and a brief explanatory text. A perfect and affordable introduction to the unique world of Henri Rousseau.

Genres: Art

95 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Nux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this compact collection out of the strength of "The Snake Charmer", which was used as the cover illustration for the copy of Jules Verne's "Mysterious Island".
Was expecting to be mesmerized by the paintings but found myself being highly amused by them instead. A read through the introduction would explain it all. I have to say that I admire very much M. Rousseau's imaginations and boldness, though! :)