Henri Rousseau: Woman Walking In An Exotic Forest Weekender Tote Bag

Description

Woman Walking In An Exotic Forest (Femme Se Promenant Dans Une Forêt Exotique)

Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) painted twenty-six variations of his iconographic jungle vistas, each a distinct, dramatic narrative rendered in a kaleidoscope of enchantment. Rousseau was not concerned with botanical accuracy or scientific acumen. Rather, he sought to portray a novel pictorial experience solely for viewing pleasure. While he never traveled internationally, his compositions were inspired by visits to the Jardins des Plantes in Paris, the cinema, zoological exhibits of taxidermy, and world fairs, and reflected the popular desire for the byproducts of colonialism in his time. The distant, mysterious lands he portrayed were fantasized, and feared, conveniently depopulated of indigenous peoples; perhaps Rousseau’s jungle motifs are an allegory of Paris and its anxieties of the other and the unknown, or a reflection of his own desires to escape the confines of urban life. As one critic wrote, “[Rousseau’s forest] is the virgin forest with its terrors and its beauties, that we dream of as children…the virgin forest as a creation of fantasy.”

This item is part of our Fine Arts Collection where we design new items influenced by the masters of fine art, design, decorative arts and textiles. Explore our growing list of featured artists.

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