The artwork “Exotic Landscape” is an oil on canvas painting by Henri Rousseau, created in 1910. A notable piece within the Naïve Art movement, specifically Primitivism, it measures 162 by 130 centimeters. Rousseau’s work, celebrated for its wildlife painting genre, is housed in the Norton Simon Museum located in Pasadena, California, United States.
The artwork features a vivid, tropical scene densely filled with lush vegetation including large green leaves and colorful flowers. A prominent orange fruit-bearing tree occupies the left side of the scene, contrasting with the darker shades of greenery around it. In the company of these botanical elements, a monkey appears in the foreground, holding a small fruit. Its fur is rendered with shades of gray, which distinctively stand out against the surrounding greens and oranges. Two more monkey faces can be seen peeking out from the tree trunks on the left, blending playfully with the natural surroundings.
Rousseau’s signature style, characterized by a dreamlike simplicity and a lack of conventional perspective, lends a flat, yet charmingly detailed quality to the composition. The painting lacks the realistic shadows and depth found in more traditional artworks, instilling the scene with a sense of enchantment and otherworldliness. The overall atmosphere of the piece is one of serene isolation, invoking a paradisiacal and untouched natural world that seems to exist outside of time.
