Exploring the Influence and Appeal of Rousseau Through the Theme of Dreams
The Setagaya Art Museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The museum opened in 1986 with the inaugural exhibition, Naivety in Art." Since then, a goal of museum programs has been to examine simplicity and naturalness, what might be described as the "beginner's mind", in art. To commemorate this 20th anniversary, we have organized an exhibition that focuses on Henri Rousseau, the painter who best exemplifies the qualities to be found in naive art. The exhibition provides a glimpse of Rousseau's enigmatic and mysterious world with special attention to how his work has been appreciated in Japan. It deals with the questions of how the dreams portrayed by this elderly naive painter arrived in Japan and what they mean to us today. It also examines the effect of those dreams on Japanese artists.
Section 1 presents works by Rousseau from Japanese collections. Section 2 features paintings by the first group of naïve painters to be discovered in France, the "Peintres du Coeur Sacre." Section 3 explores Rousseau's influence on prewar and early postwar painters and photographers in Japan, and Section 4 shows connections between Rousseau and artists of the present day. We hope that as many people as possible will take this opportunity to experience the power of dreams found in Rousseau’s work and character.
Section 1 presents works by Rousseau from Japanese collections. Section 2 features paintings by the first group of naïve painters to be discovered in France, the "Peintres du Coeur Sacre." Section 3 explores Rousseau's influence on prewar and early postwar painters and photographers in Japan, and Section 4 shows connections between Rousseau and artists of the present day. We hope that as many people as possible will take this opportunity to experience the power of dreams found in Rousseau’s work and character.
