The Sleeping Gypsy
1897
Henri Rousseau
Original Title
La Bohémienne endormie
Provenance
Gift of Mrs. Simon Guggenheim
Viewing Notes
Rousseau described the subject of
The Sleeping Gypsy
as: "A wandering Negress, a mandolin player, lies with her jar beside
her (a vase with drinking water), overcome by fatigue in a deep sleep. A
lion chances to pass by, picks up her scent yet does not devour her.
There is a moonlight effect, very poetic." A toll collector for the city
of Paris, Rousseau was largely a self-taught painter, although he had
ambitions of entering the academy. This was never realized, but his
sharp colors, fantastic imagery, and precise outlines—derived from the
style and subject matter of popular print culture—struck a chord with a
younger generation of avant-garde painters, including Pablo Picasso,
Vasily Kandinsky, and Frida Kahlo.
Henri Rousseau
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