Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!) Henri Rousseau, 1891 Take a Picture …. Rosmond Milner

First impressions count describe the painting in ONE word

Look for clues in the picture Subject Style Composition Colour Mood

Looking at pictures: visual literacy Subject Is it formal, informal, a portrait, a landscape, a still-life, heroic, exotic, fantastic, ordinary/everyday?

Looking at pictures: visual literacy Style Is it naïve, childlike, primitive, stylised, bold, simplified, modern, classical?

Looking at pictures: visual literacy Composition Think about perspective, depth of view, pattern, diagonal lines, movement, rhythm, orientation (portrait or landscape format)?

Looking at pictures: visual literacy Colour Are the colours bright, warm, hot, strong, bold, complementary colours (red/green, purple/yellow, blue/orange); are there strong tonal contrasts?

Looking at pictures: visual literacy Mood Is the picture atmospheric, stormy, windy, light and dark, scary, exciting, electric, dramatic?

What can’t we see?

What can’t we see in a reproduction? Size Texture > brush marks, thickness of paint Support > canvas, wood, paper If the colour reproduction is accurate The size of the painting is 129.8 cm x 161.9 cm (4’3” x 5’3”)

Visit these websites to find answers for the quiz about the painting: Art detectives Visit these websites to find answers for the quiz about the painting: www.nationalgallery.org.uk The National Gallery.Click on Search then scroll down the page to Search the Collection. Type in Rousseau www.artchive.com Mark Harden’s database of artists.Click on the Mona Lisa to enter the site and on H Rousseau in the index on the left. View the Image List www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/rousseau The Web Museum, Paris

Art detectives What was the painting first called? When was it made? Where can it be seen now? In what way was the painting a first for Rousseau? Which jungle inspired the painting? Surprise! 1891 The National Gallery, London It was his first jungle painting None – Rousseau claimed he served with the army in Mexico, but it was probably inspired by visits to the botanical gardens and zoo in Paris and by illustrated books

6. When was Rousseau born and when did he die? 7. What was his nickname and why? 8. Name one of his other famous paintings? 9. Why is Rousseau known as a naïve artist? 10. Which twentieth century art movement was influenced by his style of painting after his death? 6. 1844 – 1910 7. Le Douanier or Douanier Rousseau because he had been a low-ranking Customs Officer before he retired 8. The Dream, The Sleeping Gypsy, The Football Players 9. Because he was formally untrained and painted in a childlike or “primitive” way 10. Surrealism

Henri Rousseau, Le Douanier

Rousseau’s times Art movements Artists Self-portrait, Prague 1890 Impressionism Post Impressionism Fauvism Cubism Artists Picasso Cézanne Gaugin Monet Léger Dufy Self-portrait, Prague 1890

Portrait of the poet Apollinaire Fact file on Rousseau He took 3 months to finish a painting working 7 days a week He painted slowly from the top to the bottom of the canvas, filling in just one colour at a time Portrait of the poet Apollinaire

Fact file on Rousseau There are over 50 shades of green in a jungle painting He gave violin & painting lessons and was a street musician to eke out a living He died in poverty and had a pauper’s grave at first

Rousseau’s grave now has an epitaph by Apollinaire Gentle Rousseau you can hear us We salute you Delaunay, his wife, Monsieur Queval and I Let our luggage through the gate of heaven duty-free We’ll bring you paintbrushes, colours, canvasses So that your heavenly leisure time in the real light Is devoted to painting as when you did my portrait The face of the stars Guillaume Apollinaire translated RKM

Famous quotes 1 “ You know, I could have finished all these pictures” about Cézanne, 1907

Famous quotes 2 “ We are the two greatest painters of this era: you in the Egyptian style and I in the modern style” about Picasso, 1908