Tip: move over the painting to use the lens.

Sawmill, Outskirts of Paris

Artist: Henri Rousseau French, 1844-1910
Date: c. 1893/95
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 25.5 × 45.5 cm (10 × 17 7/8 in.)
Made in: France
Where to see it: Art Institute of Chicago

Bequest of Kate L. Brewster · CC0 Public Domain · Art Institute of Chicago · image via Wikimedia Commons · see it at the museum ↗

Slow Look

The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?

About Henri Rousseau

Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier, a humorous description of his occupation as a toll and tax collector. He started painting seriously in his early forties; by age 49, he retired from his job to work on his art full-time.

Painter profile →