Henri Rousseau: An “Original” French Artist
Largely self-taught, he produced a number of highly detailed and imaginative paintings
Henri was educated at the Lycee in Laval, where he was a passable, though not distinguished, student. On leaving school he was employed for a short time in the office of an attorney, but when some petty thefts came to light and the finger of blame was pointed in his direction, he decided that the safest place to be was in the Army, so he enlisted as a bandsman.
He spent four years in the Army, making little impression as a soldier, and there is no evidence that he ever served overseas or was engaged in any military action. It was later suggested that his paintings of jungle scenes resulted from his having travelled to exotic places during his four years’ service, but that would appear to be an invention.
In 1868 he left the army and took a job as a collector of tolls for the Paris Municipality. This was quite a menial role, and does not really justify the nickname of “Le Douanier” that he was later given, as this translates as “customs officer”, a much more prestigious job title. He stayed doing this job until 1893, when he felt secure enough to retire and devote himself entirely to art, although this did not look like a very sensible option at the time.