Image of a painting, “Tiger in a Tropical Storm,” 1891, by Henri Rousseau. Image provided by Darla McCammon.

By Darla McCammon
and Darlene Romano
Guest Columnists

WARSAW — Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) was a French painter in the post-Impressionist era who never received any formal art training. He worked as a toll and tax collector, an undemanding job that gave him time to spend doing what he enjoyed, which was painting.

In 1886 when he was 44, he began exhibiting artwork in a Paris salon that focused heavily on traditionalism. His work was not featured in places of prominence and was initially mocked and criticized. Rousseau was best known for his bold paintings of the jungle. See the image provided with this column, “Tiger in a Tropical Storm,” 1891, which he painted from his imagination since he never left France. He spent a lot of time at the local botanical gardens and zoo and studied images at colonial expositions and in books and magazines for inspiration on what to paint. The painting “Tiger in a Tropical Storm” was Rousseau’s first jungle painting and was ridiculed for its amateurish technique and childlike naiveté.

At age 49, Rousseau retired from his customs post to paint full time. He directed much of his effort toward large-scale canvases for salon submissions. He also produced modest-sized canvases of suburban Paris to sell in order to support himself. His paintings were filled with flora and fauna and bold colors and found acceptance with the younger generation of avant-garde artists and writers.

Rousseau craved acceptance by the artistic establishment in addition to seeking state recognition, and this influenced his subject matter. In addition to the jungle-themed paintings and the suburban Paris paintings, Rousseau also produced large-scale canvases to address serious subjects of historical significance in order to show his support of the state.

For about 10 years, between 1894 and 1904, Rousseau did not paint jungle themes. From 1904 until his death in 1910, he again painted tropical jungle paintings, and these paintings resulted in a measure of critical recognition. Despite being criticized during his life, Rousseau’s style was hugely influential on the next generation of avant-garde artists, such as Picasso, Fernand Leger, Max Beckmann and the whole Surrealist movement.

For more information on Rousseau, go to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Rousseau.

Events

Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart: In honor of the museum’s 44th anniversary, the museum is presenting the exhibition “America the Beautiful by American Master Photographer Clyde Butcher.” Focusing mostly on landscapes of the Big Cypress Preserve and the Everglades in Florida, Butcher uses a medium-format camera to create silver gelatin prints, platinum pallidum prints and digital prints. His extraordinary work will be available for viewing beginning Saturday, May 6, through Sunday, July 16. For more information, call (574) 293-6660.

The Heartland Artists Gallery-Call for Artists: The Heartland Artists Gallery in Plymouth will be hosting the annual Small Wonders Juried Exhibit from Tuesday, May 2, through Friday, June 2. It is open to artists in all media. The submission deadline is Sunday, April 23. For more information, call (574) 316-0264.

Ford Meter Box Calendar Competition: The annual calendar competition for Ford Meter Box is underway, and artists are invited to submit artwork. The deadline to submit work is Friday, June 2. For a list of the rules of the event or for more information, contact Michele Ilyas at [email protected] or Tanya Denney at [email protected].

Lakeland Art Center & Gallery: The gallery is currently exhibiting the work of “Hilarie Couture: Unity with Variety.” The gallery hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and admission is free. The gallery is located at 302 E. Winona Ave. in Warsaw. For more information, send an email to [email protected].

Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery: Kim Lanoue is the new exhibitor at the Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery. There will be a “Meet the Artist” event and a painting demo by Lanoue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday April 25, at the gallery. The gallery is inside of Warsaw City Hall, 102 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and admission is free. To exhibit at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery, contact Darla McCammon, curator, at (574) 527-4044 and leave a message or send an email to [email protected].

To subscribe: Please send your email address to [email protected].