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Self-portrait

Henri Rousseau • Painting, 1890, 110×143 cm
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About the artwork
Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Portrait
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 1890
Size: 110×143 cm
Artwork in selections: 31 selections
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Description of the artwork «Self-portrait»

Henri Rousseau wanted to write your "Portrait-landscape" by all the rules of academic painting. Strict black and white clothing, polyanthas. The figure of the artist seems huge in relation to other elements of the picture. In a similar style written also known "Portrait Of Jadwiga"rescued from oblivion by Picasso. The great cubist acquired it in one small shop on the price of the canvas, for 5 francs. The dealer tried to convince Picasso that with such a good canvas, he should be able to work... "Portrait of Jadwiga" has become one of the favorite paintings by Picasso.

Nedootsenennost sizes-portrait like splits the canvas into two parts: in fact, as the name implies: portrait and landscape. Behind the artist – Paris, the bridge over the Seine, small houses, Eiffel tower and a ship with a mast hung with flags of different countries, hot air balloon in the sky. On the parapet is a pair, which seems quite tiny in comparison with the figure of the artist. He rises above the world and at the same time separated from him. Russo exactly convey their own relationship with the world – he didn't fit, was "too much" for him. Too old for the avant-garde, too uneducated for academic artists, too simple and naive – therefore twice been in a situation where he was threatened with imprisonment, but both times managed to avoid it.

The artist simultaneously naive and profound, smart. And again, as in the story of his life, the question is: he did not know when they laughed at him, or he understood so much more?

The portrait was painted in 1890, but the edits he was subjected to another 11 years. First on the palette in the hands of the artist had the name of his first wife Clemence, then the name of Josephine, second wife. In 1901, the final change was the icon of the teacher Pirotekhnicheskijj school on his lapel. And Russo has added gray hairs to his portrait as you increase the amount of gray hair he has.

Author: Alain Esaulova
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