Henri Rousseau was born in France in 1844.  Rousseau took up painting as a hobby.  He liked it so much that he retired at the age of 40 to become a full time artist.

Rousseau is the first and greatest primitive painter.  His style is called primitive because he had no formal art training.  Art critics often made fun of Rousseau because they said his paintings

were simple.  His fellow artists liked his work and thought Rousseau was very talented. 

Henri Rousseau is best known for his jungle scene paintings.  His canvases are full of thick green leaves, flowers, and tropical animals.  He never visited a jungle.  He spent time at the zoo and in gardens to gather ideas for his

paintings.  Rousseau used his imagination to enhance his pictures to make them more interesting and detailed.

Henri Rousseau died on September 4, 1910.  He died poor and lived in poverty because the public did not like his work.  Today, his works are shown in the greatest museums in the world.