Understanding Henri Rousseau

With the speedy development of science and technology in the world, the survival environment of the modern man is facing the crisis which never exists before, the harmonious relationship between nature and human has broken. The pollution of the environment is strengthening, the ecological balance is out of control, some new diseases emergence and the natural resource is used too much and will be used up. The intense living and work bring great pressure to man and make him doubt about and disgust the modern civilization, which leads man to chase for the purity, the na?ve and the simple of the original art. The works of Henri Rousseau, who has a simple and sensitive heart, just like a antidote which offer the modern man, and by which we can understand that no matter how the world develops and how rich the material life of man is, pursuing spiritual free and returning to one's pure and natural self may be the pursuit of arts and the destination of human hearts forever.The first time I encountered Rousseau's painting was in my middle school. At that time, Rousseau did give me a deep impression, and what attracted me were some classical artists and impressionist artists such as Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres,Edouard Manet,Claude Monet,Pierre-Auguste Renoir etc. As the time passed, I gradually realized the artistic value of Rousseau. That may be because that as an outstanding painter, the paintings showed before people are impossible to be wholly understood by human beings. The more spiritual and emotional the paintings, the more necessary for the viewers to feel and taste with heart and to interpret with sense, using learning as its link.Henri Rousseau is a contemporary plain painting master and he is also a typical painter learning by himself. Reviewing his paintings can give people an enjoyment of pure, simple, and mysterious original beauty. He could catch the nature of things with true feeling, and create paintings full of sentiment. Especially the paintings portraying tropical scenes are overflowing with poetics and fancy, showing the tendency of surrealism, which form his particular artistic style. Such a style is decided not only by the self-study painter's internal needs, but also by his long-time exploring and his...