ROUSSEAU AT THE BARNES

On February 9th, 2026 I traveled to Philadelphia to see an exhibition of work by one of the most controversial Artists of the last 2 centuries. The Barnes Foundation hosted an exhibit on the Post Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau.

Philly truly is a gem of culture. Those close enough to visit its many attraction are fortunate souls. Aside from its role in the formation of this nation and the landmarks chronicling that history, the Philly Art circle contains 3 world class museums: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum and the Barnes Foundation.

Coming in from South Central PA, I usually take the scenically beautiful Kelly Drive exit off the Schuykill Expressway. As you follow the gently meandering Schuykill river, you know you are arriving in center city Philly as the Greek Revival masterpiece that is the Philadelphia Museum of Art comes into view. Merging on to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway brings you right in front of the museum. It then becomes clear that this is a modern temple to the Arts.

 The museum needs no introduction, especially after one Italian Stallion triumphantly ran up its iconic steps during a training montage in that underdog classic film from 1976. It is estimated that annually around 4 million people visit the museum to do just as Rocky did. Too bad so few go inside to engage with the art. Maybe that is a commentary on pop culture’s accessibility. That is another article for another day.

Just a short way down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway lies the Rodin Museum. It is one of only 2 museums in the world solely dedicate to the work of Auguste Rodin. The other resides in Paris. the Philly Rodin Museum is a much smaller venue than either of its neighboring museums. In this case however, intimacy is a priceless commodity. There are but a few rooms within this diminutive building but each houses numerous masterpieces of figurative sculpture. You can get close (providing you don’t touch) and study every detail without throngs of spectators impeding your view. The Thinker, Rodin’s most renowned work, announces your arrival as it sits contemplating the museum’s courtyard entryway.

Directly adjacent to the Rodin Museum sits the Barnes Foundation. The Barnes is home to one of the world’s largest private collections of Impressionist and Post Impressionist Paintings. There are 181 paintings by Renoir, 69 by Cezanne and 59 Matisse’s! I told you Philly has world class Art!

The Barnes Foundation is a modernist architectural marvel that sits nestled behind a grove of shade trees. On the main floor is the Roberts Gallery where rotating exhibits are displayed. From mid-October 2025 through late February 2026 the exhibit on display was Henri Rousseau, A Painter’s Secrets.

For many people, me included, Rousseau remains a problematic and enigmatic Artist. I went to this exhibit to see if the problems could be resolved and a semblance of the enigma, grasped.

Rousseau is a self-taught painter who began his art career at the age of 42. He only painted for 24 years and he died in 1910 at the age of 66. However, in those 24 years he painted as many as 130 works.

The problem with Rousseau, and this is a big problem for many, is his representations of figures. In each of his works, the figures appear out of proportion, disconnected from their landscapes, and lack a fundamental understanding of anatomy.

In the painting in the upper left of this image gallery the figures are stiff and void of structure beneath their wares. The mature lion in the lower left of that composition is disproportionate to the humans around him. The painting in the center of the upper row shows a woman positioned in an impossible way astride a horse that could not exist. The figures in the upper right image appear flat, cartoonish and with feet far too small for their frames. The woman in the lower left painting has a head that is too small for her frame. The little girl in the lower right image has a hip structure disconnected from her spine and tiny, out of scale hands.

But each work is a finished piece, created with the conviction of a master. He clearly took great pride in these works. He routinely submitted his paintings to the Salon des Inde'pendants (an annual exhibit where anyone who paid could exhibit). His work was mocked by the critics and public alike. The press reviews of his work were overwhelmingly negative, yet he kept every clipping and remained undeterred.

Rousseau was friends with many of the Artists of the Parisian Art scene of the time. He and Picasso were close friends. In a bold statement he once declared that the two of them were the greatest artists of their era. But this is the rub, Picasso drew the image below when he was 8 years old!

Here, Picasso demonstrated artistic aptitude as prodigies often do. Look at the movement, the contrapposto (“S” shaped curve of the torso due to the weight of the figure being bore on its left hip), or the delicateness of the reflected light on the bottom part of the figures left hamstring, or the masterful line work that separates the inner right thigh from the top of the left. While this is a study of a plaster form, a long-held tradition for developing the language of drawing and abilities of perception, it was still done by someone at the age of 8!

So how could Rousseau be so utterly convinced that he was as great an Artists as Picasso?! Speaking from personal experience, doubt will destroy a piece. When I have had the most success is when I could envision, with fair clarity, the finished piece. This man had no self-doubt.

As I stood in front of those awkwardly brilliant works, a connection was made and a version of an answer presented itself. Rousseau was ahead of his time. The work up to then was by and large observational. Artists represented the external. Rousseau used the external as reference points but painted from his imagination. Picasso once famously stated “It took me 4 years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Did Picasso see in Rousseau the unspoiled childlike purity he aspired to?

If we go back to those problematic works from the above image gallery, we see an Artist with a highly developed style who created cohesive, imaginary spaces. The piece below, for example, while the same formal problems still exist, the plant life is exquisitely rendered. The light falls proportionately on each leaf and blade of grass. Look in the background, behind the trees that frame the central figure, and you see an entirely different and rich landscape. The light in the background even fades appropriately at the horizon line. This is a richly layered canvas with each of the back, middle and fore ground carefully and thoughtfully laid out in accordance to his vision.

When the Artist Paul Gauguin vibrantly painted visions of French Polynesian life, Europeans responded with overwhelming appreciation. They found such exotic depictions enthralling. Despite never having left France, Rousseau shifted the focus of his work and began painting jungle scenes.

In his jungle adventure paintings, like Scouts Attacked by a Tiger (above), Rousseau began to find the acceptance he had sought for so long. The public responded so positively that he painted 20 to 25 large format jungle scenes from 1904 - 1910.

This is where, in my opinion, he ceases to be problematic and shows his true genius. Original thought is one definition of genius and here, Rousseau’s commitment to his vision paid off. From his depictions of European life to his fantastical jungle scenes, it is the latter where his work shines. Below is one of the last paintings he did, The Sleeping Gypsy. This is large, nearly 5 feet tall and is almost 7 feet across. It was my favorite piece in the exhibit. I sat for over 20 minutes, taking this piece in. Is the lion a predator or a protector? Rousseau never stated his intent, instead he gave space for the viewer to interpret the imagery as they see fit.

When The Sleeping Gypsy is compared to Dali’s The Persistence of Memory a connection is unavoidable. But Salvador Dali wouldn’t paint this surrealist masterpiece until 1931, 21 years after Rousseau’s death. In fact, surrealism as an Art form wouldn’t come into being until the early 1920’s.

So, after spending the day with his work, I have come to understand Rousseau a bit better. The depiction of his figures, especially in his early works, are still more than problematic. Less problematic however, is the conviction to his vision. During a time when every other artist was representing the observable world, he created a new Art form where the world of imagination ruled. This was truly unique! When he leaned heavily into his inner landscapes and narratives, he created masterpieces that predated Surrealism by an entire generation. Rousseau influenced such greats as Dali and Picasso held a banquet celebrating him as a great Artist. Maybe that’s all that needs to be said about the enigmatic Rousseau.

Thank you for reading.

Earle Rock

Earle Rock Studios