Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910) was a French Post-Impressionist painter who became the definitive archetype of Naïve or Primitive art. Known humorously by his nickname Le Douanier (the customs officer), he spent most of his adult life working as a Paris toll and tax collector, only turning to painting full-time in his late forties.Despite lacking formal artistic training and facing relentless ridicule from critics during his lifetime, Rousseau's flat planes of color, stylized details, and dreamlike imagery deeply inspired the Parisian avant-garde—including Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky—ultimately laying the groundwork for Surrealism and Modernism.

Henri Rousseau

(1844–1910)Painter

French post-Impressionist painter known for his naïve art style, famous for lush jungle scenes.

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