Sawmill, Outskirts of Parisc. 1893/95
Henri Rousseau painted this in about 1893/95, aged about 44. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago. More about this work
About this work
A work made of oil on canvas.
Description from the Art Institute of Chicago.
Henri Rousseau painted this in about 1893/95, aged about 44. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Henri Rousseau
French, 1844–1910 · Born in Laval; died in Paris.
Rousseau worked for years as a clerk in the Paris toll service, which earned him the nickname “le Douanier”, and taught himself to paint, exhibiting from 1886 at the jury-free Salon des Indépendants. Critics mocked his flat, meticulous style, but younger artists, Picasso among them, came to admire it. He is best known for his dense jungle scenes with wild animals, composed from visits to the Paris botanical garden and zoo and from illustrated books, without his ever leaving France.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Art Institute of Chicago has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1950.133
- Credit
- Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- Modern Art
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
