Rousseau, Henri (1844-1910)
Une soirée au carnaval (Carnival Evening)
1886
Oil on canvas, 117.3 x 89.5 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
An air of mystery pervades this wintry forest landscape. Dressed in festive carnival costumes, a lone couple stands in front of barren trees. The figures seem to shine from within rather than from the light of the moon, which has strangely left the forest in darkness. An unexplained face leers out from the empty hut beside the figures, and an unexpected street lamp incongruously glows nearby. Known for his fantastic scenes, Rousseau was a self-taught artist whose works appealed to the collectors and avant-garde artists of the early twentieth century, including Pablo Picasso. (PMoA)