Henri Rousseau was a French Painter born in 1844. He was born into a poor family and worked until he was 49 years old, the age he could retire and focus solely on his art. In order to earn enough to live as just an artist Rousseau took up jobs such as giving painting lessons which is ironic because Rousseau was self-taught and never had a art lesson himself. Rousseau enjoyed painting jungles but he never actually saw a jungle in person. He based it on the botanical garden in Paris.

The art work I selected is titled “The Dream” (1910). It illustrates a nude female on a sofa in what it looks like a forrest or a jungle. There are several wild animals scattered around the painting but because of the colors chosen by Rousseau, the animals blend into the sea of green. The main focus of this painting seems to be the female lady as she is in the brightest tone. Everything else around her seems dull, not vibrant. The moon is out meaning it is the evening or night hence why things are not vibrant since the sun is not out. In addition to the wild animals and the female lady a motif in this piece are the plants as the painting is mostly covered in plants and another motif are the wild flowers that vary in color.

“The Dream” reflects modernism as the piece breaks away from traditional pieces. This piece is different as the focus is a nude women laying on a sofa in a jungle while some animals stare at her shocked. It reflects modernism as it is a piece on something that interested the artist. In addition, what seems to be a monkey is seen in the center of the painting playing a human instrument. The monkey also seems to have an item of clothing on the bottom half of his body. It is interesting to note that the wild animal is the one clothed while the female is naked in the wild, like a wild animal. Rousseau perhaps might have wanted to make a statement. Which is something traditional pieces stood away from.

I encountered this piece on the fifth floor of the MoMa. It stood out among the other paintings as it looked very smooth and complicated. I was drawn to “The Dream” specifically because of the wild animals. The eyes of the wild animals reminded me of the Mona Lisa in which I was not sure if the wild animals are looking at me or if they are looking at the naked female sitting on the sofa.

Source used: http://artsmarts4kids.blogspot.com/2008/02/henri-rousseau.html

My name is Glorimar Aguasvivas. I am currently a Sophomore majoring in Finance. Both of my parents were born in the Dominican Republic, therefore I was raised speaking the country’s native language Spanish. I learned English in school. Some of my hobbies include Jewelry making, specifically necklaces. I would make them for myself and close friends. This semester I hope to learn new vocabulary, and I hope to improve on my writing.