Description
In addition to his large jungle scenes, Rousseau also painted small landscapes, including this view of a river or canal on the outskirts of Paris. While retaining a sharp, detailed rendering of objects, Rousseau has abandoned the flat tonality of his earlier works for more blended modeling and freer brushwork. The volumes of the clouds, trees, and houses occupy distinct areas in space, revealing the serenity of an organized world. A self-taught painter who, at the age of 41, quit his job in the Paris municipal toll or tax service to devote himself entirely to art, Rousseau was widely admired by avant-garde artists for his intuitive sense of design and inventive subjects.
Provenance
Henri Rousseau; M. Lefèbvre, Paris. His collection sale, Paris, Drouot, 3 March 1927 (lot 117, repr.), Paysage de banlieue, for ff 55,000, sold to Émile Level. (1927); Émile Level, Paris, France, consigned to Valentine Gallery, New York, NY (1927-1929); Valentine Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art on December 16, 1929. (1929); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1929-)
Accession Number
1929.951
Medium
oil on fabric
Dimensions
Framed: 56.5 x 65.5 x 8 cm (22 1/4 x 25 13/16 x 3 1/8 in.); Unframed: 37.8 x 45.8 cm (14 7/8 x 18 1/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Tags
Painting Impressionist & Modern (1851–1900) Oil Painting French
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) was a French painter known as Le Douanier (the customs officer) for his former occupation, whose naive, dreamlike paintings of Parisian suburbs and jungle scenes make him one of the most original painters of the early 20th century. Outskirts of Paris from c. 1897-1905 depicts the suburban fringe of Paris in the naive, detailed manner that distinguishes Rousseau's best suburban landscapes from the more conventional landscape painting of his contemporaries. The c. 1897-1905 date places this in Rousseau's most productive period, when he was painting the suburban landscapes that preceded his more famous jungle scenes.
Cultural Impact
Outskirts of Paris is important in the history of modern painting because it demonstrates the naive, detailed manner that makes Rousseau one of the most original painters of the early 20th century. Rousseau's suburban landscapes—painted by a self-taught customs officer with no formal training—represent the naive vision that the avant-garde painters of Paris would champion as an alternative to the academic tradition, and his naive manner would influence the development of Surrealism and other modern movements.
Why It Matters
Outskirts of Paris is Rousseau's naive suburban vision: the fringe of Paris rendered in the detailed, self-taught manner that makes Le Douanier one of the most original painters of the early 20th century. The c. 1897-1905 painting shows the naive vision that the Parisian avant-garde would champion as an alternative to the academic tradition.
