“The Repast of the Lion” by Henri Rousseau

“The Repast of the Lion” by Henri Rousseau depicts a feeding lion in a lush and exotic jungle setting. This painting expands upon Rousseau’s other artworks depicting surprised animals in jungle scenes.

The foliage represented in the art was inspired by the artist’s study of Paris’ botanical gardens and the many jungle pictures he collected.

Rousseau also took inspiration and adapted the wild beasts from popular ethnographic journals and illustrated children’s books.

The critics derided Henri Rousseau’s work during his lifetime and after his death. Still, he won a following and support among his contemporaries: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Paul Klee, who were admirers of his work.

Henri Rousseau

Henri Rousseau was self-taught and developed a style that lacked traditional training, with its absence of strict proportions, a one-point perspective, and with the use of sharp, often unnatural colors.

The result was art pieces that were imbued with a sense of mystery and eccentricity.

Rousseau started painting seriously in his early forties, and by age 49, he retired from his job to work on his art full-time. His primary employment before he retired was as the duty customs officer and tax collector.

Many critics who ridiculed his work disparaged Rousseau’s style; however, he always aspired, in vain, to common acceptance.

Many observers commented that he painted like a child, but the work shows sophistication with his unique style and technique.

Following his funeral the following epitaph was written by his friends and put on his tombstone:

We salute you, Gentle Rousseau, you can hear us.
Let our luggage pass duty-free through the gates of heaven.
We will bring you brushes paints and canvas.
That you may spend your sacred leisure in the
light and Truth of Painting.
As you once did, my portrait facing the stars, lion, and the gypsy.

Ridiculed during his lifetime by critics, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose work exerted a significant influence on several generations of avant-garde artists.

Today, Henri Rousseau’s paintings are highly valued and prominent in the world’s leading art museums.

Henri Rousseau: Did you know?

Rousseau was ridiculed during his lifetime by art critics.
He was self-taught and yet he had a significant influence on many avant-garde artists.
Various artists have parodied his iconic paintings.
Animals and the jungle both inspired Rousseau.
His sources of imagination were not extensive travels; it was illustrated books and visits to the Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Paris.
After his retirement in 1893, Rousseau supplemented his small pension with part-time jobs, such as playing the violin in the streets.

Title: The Repast of the Lion
Artist: Henri Rousseau
Date: 1907
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 44 3/4 x 63 in. (113.7 x 160 cm)
Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art – MET

Henri Rousseau

Name: Henri Julien Félix Rousseau
Born: 1844 – Laval, Mayenne, France
Died: 1910 (aged 66) – Paris, France
Nationality: French
Movement: Post-Impressionism, Naïve art, Primitivism
Notable works:
- The Customs Post
- The Sleeping Gypsy
- The Repast of the Lion
- Tiger in a Tropical Storm
- Primitivism and Naïve Art by Henri Rousseau
  - Tropical Landscape: American Indian Struggling with a Gorilla
  - Struggle between Tiger and Bull
  - The Equatorial Jungle
  - Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo
  - The Snake Charmer
  - Horse Attacked by a Jaguar