In Focus: Henri Rousseau
Introducing Our Newest On-Demand Class
Henri Rousseau. Scouts Attacked by a Tiger (detail), 1904. The Barnes Foundation, BF584. Public Domain.
$100; members $90
(4 modules)
About the Class
This self-paced course introduces you to the life, work, and legacy of the self-taught French artist Henri Rousseau. Focusing on key Rousseau holdings at the Barnes and from collections around the world, we’ll study multiple facets of the painter’s artistic practice. We’ll delve into his unusual approach to portraiture, his mesmerizing jungle paintings, and the startling ways Rousseau defamiliarizes the familiar—bringing together the observed and the imagined to leave viewers with more questions than answers. We’ll also consider his work in relation to its historical moment by examining changes in Parisian life, the expansion of France’s empire, and the way ideological constructs of the “primitive” affected both the creation and reception of Rousseau’s art.
In 18 engaging videos, we’ll explore Rousseau’s mysterious canvases using our state-of-the-art platform that lets you zoom in on every detail—like an individual leaf, a tiger’s claw, or a teardrop in the corner of an eye.
About the Experience
- Self-Paced Learning: Access all modules anytime, anywhere, on any device. Watch and rewatch sessions at your own pace.
- Short, Impactful Videos: Each module includes four or five video sessions ranging from 5 to 15 minutes.
- Immersive Visual Exploration: The Barnes’s state-of-the-art Visual Experience Platform (VXP) allows you to see an extraordinary level of detail.
- Interactive Lessons: You’ll be prompted to pause videos and dive deeper into each artwork, practicing the Barnes Method as you go.
Watch this brief introduction to the course and read more below.
Modules
Module 1
Portraits (5 videos, 55 minutes total)
Familiarize yourself with Henri Rousseau, the person and the artist, through his self-portraits and the genre he claimed to have invented, the “portrait-landscape.”
Module 2
The Uncanny (4 videos, 37 minutes total)
Immerse yourself in the eeriness that pervades Rousseau’s entire oeuvre. Learn how he transformed the familiar into something alien and strange.
Module 3
The Jungle Paintings (4 videos, 35 minutes total)
Roam through Rousseau’s fantastical jungle paintings as we discuss how he created them, his sources and inspiration, and how the works reflect the era’s view of the exotic “other.” Peer between every tropical leaf using our deep-zoom technology.
Module 4
Modern Painting, Modern Life (5 videos, 46 minutes total)
Explore different sides of Rousseau’s modernism—how he depicted the technological and urban shifts that marked his immediate surroundings, and how his art attracted a wide range of avant-garde creators in the 20th century.
Instructors
Martha Lucy
Lucy is the deputy director for research, interpretation and education at the Barnes. As an art historian, she specializes in modern European art and visual culture. She is the coauthor of Renoir in the Barnes Foundation and has published articles and essays on topics ranging from the early charcoals of Odilon Redon to contemporary installation art.
Naina Saligram
Saligram is a fellow researching the 46 works by Picasso in the Barnes. She has held curatorial, research, and teaching positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Yale University Art Gallery and has previously taught Barnes classes on subjects including primitivism and surrealism.
Go Further
The Art of Looking: An Introduction to the Barnes Method
This interactive online course will teach you the basics of the Barnes Method of studying art, at your own pace.
The Art of Display: Exploring the Barnes Ensembles
Uncover connections hidden in plain sight by studying Dr. Barnes’s enigmatic displays of art at your own pace.
In Focus: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
An introduction to Renoir’s life and work, with interactive videos that let you explore his canvases up close. See why Renoir is more than just rosy cheeks and cute babies.