6abc Loves the Arts: “Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets” on view by means of February 22 on the Barnes Foundation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — “Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets” explores the thriller that surrounds the artist.

“We really want you to feel that curiosity as you come into the space,” says Nancy Ireson, Co-Curator of “Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets.” Ireson can be the Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions & Gund Family Chief Curator on the Barnes Foundation.

There are 56 works, 18 from the Barnes assortment.

“Dr. Barnes amassed the most important collection in the world of Rousseau’s works,” says Ireson. “And for this project, we’ve worked with the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, which has the second largest collection of 11 pictures.”

They’re organized in thematic sections, by which, Ireson says you’ll uncover “different chapters of Rousseau’s life.”

Born in France, Rousseau was educated, however not in artwork.

“So he develops his own unique style,” she says.
“He taught himself,” says Chris Green, Co-Curator of “Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets” and Professor Emeritus on the Courtauld Institute in London. “He was doing something quite clearly very different and a lot of, most people, thought he was ridiculous, but it was very noticeable.”

He carried on regardless of the criticism.

“Rousseau was supremely self-confident, and despite the fact that people were often quite rude about his pictures, he never lost that belief. He really felt that he was an important artist,” says Ireson.

He retired from his job as a customs officer in his late 40s to pursue artwork full-time.

“Even in his earliest works, Rousseau is setting up questions for us as viewers to answer,” she says.

He grew to become identified for his portrait-landscapes.

“And this is a genre that he was really proud to have invented,” she says.

“He’s a story giver. He’s not a storyteller. He doesn’t tell you the story. He offers you all the elements with which you can make a story for yourself,” says Green.

He additionally captures neighborhood.

“Rousseau really captures so much of his own world and he invites us in,” says Ireson. “Rousseau has a fantastic way of creating pictures that we can relate to.”

He depicted a sequence of jungle scenes close to the top of his life. The work ‘Scouts Attacked by a Tiger’ is on view, together with others.

“Rousseau is, like so many French people, wrapped up in the fantasy of the faraway,” she says. “But it’s a complete drama. It’s a complete construct. If we asked ourself, could the artist possibly have seen this? The answer has to be no, and yet, we buy into the story.”

“He realized that these pictures created sensation. People wanted to see them, and they came in droves to look at them,” says Green.

The exhibition ends with a trio of main works proven collectively for the primary time. They embrace ‘The Sleeping Gypsy,’ ‘Unpleasant Surprise’ and ‘The Snake Charmer.’

“They talk to each other, and they have this thing that Rousseau has of suggesting something is going to happen,” says Green.

He says though there’s “danger” in all three of the works, it by no means truly occurs.

“It’s for your imagination,” he says.

Ireson says you’ll be able to’t assist however be “swept up by feeling” viewing these works.

“So really do come and experience it for yourself,” she says. “It really is unmissable.”

“Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets” is on view by means of February 22 on the Barnes Foundation.

For extra data:
“Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets”
Link to Tickets at the Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation
2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130