Henri RousseauFrench, 1844–1910The Waterfall
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Among the very last compositions Henri Rousseau painted, The Waterfall is typical of the large-scale jungle scenes for which he gained renown in the 20th century. A self-taught artist who worked by day as a customs agent until the age of 49, Rousseau never set foot outside of France. Instead, he learned about the flora and fauna of far-away places through visits to Paris botanical gardens and zoos as well as in popular books. As a result, his landscapes often reflect how Parisians at the time imagined France’s colonial empires in Africa and the Americas. Here, he created a secluded vignette of two dark-skinned figures and a pair of deer at a stream surrounded by dense foliage. As we look upon them, seemingly undetected or just noticed by the deer, we encounter a fictional scene that reflects 20th-century European ideas about escaping modernity and returning to more peaceful origins.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1926.262
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
Meanwhile, in the life of Henri Rousseau
The whole life1893–1910
A studio in Montparnasse
In 1893 Rousseau moved to a studio in Montparnasse, where he lived and worked until his death in 1910.
1908
Picasso’s banquet in Rousseau’s honour
Picasso came across a Rousseau painting being sold on the street as a canvas to be painted over, instantly recognised his genius and went to meet him; in 1908 he gave a half-serious, half-burlesque banquet for Rousseau in his Bateau-Lavoir studio, attended by Apollinaire, Gertrude Stein, Max Jacob, Marie Laurencin, Juan Gris and others.
March 1910
“The Dream,” his last painting, at the Salon
In March 1910 Rousseau exhibited “The Dream,” his last painting, at the Salon des Indépendants.
March 1910
Phlegmon in the leg
In March 1910, the month “The Dream” was shown, Rousseau developed a phlegmon in his leg.
August 1910
Necker Hospital: gangrene and surgery
In August 1910 Rousseau was admitted to the Necker Hospital in Paris, where his son had died; gangrene was found in his leg. After an operation he died of a blood clot on 2 September.
2 September 1910
Died
