White Lies, Inner Truth: The Contradictions of Henri Rousseau
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Historians debate whether Henri Rousseau's distinctive, seemingly innocent painting style was a result of deliberate strategy or luck, revealing deeper adult themes upon closer examination.
- The painting "Portrait of Madame M." (c. 1895) features an unidentified bourgeois woman depicted with exaggerated hands and bouffant sleeves, rendered with large, flat shapes and gradient shading rather than outlines.
- Rousseau’s technique creates a paper doll-like effect, with stocky fingers that appear awkwardly attached and objects held imprecisely, contributing to the painting’s unique visual impact.
- From a distance, the portrait conveys dignity and formality within a perspective-less landscape, but up close, subtle facial details suggest weariness and vulnerability beneath the
