Rousseau Monkeys

Beloved by many of his famous contemporaries, Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) was a self-taught artist who only started painting full-time in his late forties. Rousseau’s best-known works explore a dream world of vivid jungle scenes in an unconventional naïve style that was embraced and admired by early 20th century avante-garde artists, including Picasso and Kandinsky.

Never having travelled outside of France, he found inspiration for his exotic imagery from visits to the zoo and botanical gardens in Paris, as well as books and magazines. In Tropical Forest with Monkeys, he imagines them acting more like vacationing humans, as one cools his feet in a stream, while another dangles a fishing pole over the water in a lush jungle landscape.

Henri Rousseau (1844-1910), French
Tropical Forest with Monkeys, 1910
National Gallery of Art