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"Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris," at the National Gallery of Art, provides insight into the life of a French artist who created beloved exotic works Date published: 8/17/2006
By SHEILA WICKOUSKI For THE FREE LANCE-STAR Henri Rousseau's art has inspired hundreds of Web sites and yet there has never been one biopic about this self-taught artist whose works continue to be loved even if not quite understood. Still, there is plenty of interest in "Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris," on view through Oct. 15 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The lack of colorful films about Rousseau could stem from the lack of color in the artist's life. He was born in a French market town in 1844 and did not move to Paris until 1868. For some 20 years of his adult life he was a low-level government worker. Rousseau was no child prodigy born to paint. It is not known if he even was interested in painting before he was 40, and he did not paint full time until his early retirement at 50. None of this would make a good movie, let alone anything as successful as the box office hits "The Agony and the Ecstasy" about Michelangelo or "Lust for Life" about Vincent Van Gogh. When Rousseau tried to earn a living as a painter, he did not head, like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, to the Moulin Rouge. Instead, Rousseau sought work painting town centers. He did commit some crimes-- early on, he stole some stamps, and later, he was imprisoned for debts. It is unlikely that either story would make a stirring courtroom drama. The National Gallery of Art has produced a documentary of archival footage narrated by Kevin Kline to accompany its current Rousseau exhibit. And it is ironic that the only films about this artist, so rooted in fantasy, are fact-based documentaries. Still this is a step toward learning more about the man and his times, in relation to the creators of modern art. For all the enigmatic fantasy in his paintings, Rousseau was not really an innovator. He was an outsider to the French Academy, but rather than lead avant-garde movements, like Edouard Manet, Rousseau seems to have tried to fit into the traditional mode in his own very odd way. It is noted that Rousseau was scared of his own jungle paintings--despite the fact that he used as models dioramas in natural history museum exhibits, displays at the world's fair, and the zoo and botanical gardens of Paris. Still, to those who love this painter, there never was a requirement that he actually see a jungle animal to create something so real. For those who want more Rousseau works in their lives, a recent home decorating magazine even included a feature on how to cover an entire wall with a mural of his works. A puzzle in his day, Rousseau remains so today, with few clues in his life about the enduring greatness of his art. In addition to his best known jungle paintings, the NGA exhibit includes a variety of examples of his work, such as portraits, allegories, landscapes, plays, music and other creative endeavors of this retired civil servant. And the NGA has gone even further in its exploration of Rousseau, bringing from Paris the lion statue he used as the model for his famous "The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope."
Date published: 8/17/2006
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