The Banks of the Oise 1905

Henri Rousseau’s “The Banks of the Oise” is pure magic, even if it wasn’t made with magic. Look at that water, how the boats sit so still, like paper cutouts! I wonder what Rousseau was thinking when he made this? Did he imagine a day like this, sitting, watching the water? There is an intensity and a naivety here. I feel Rousseau has made a world, but it is a world which is more like a set from a theatre. It's an amazing theatre. The stillness of the scene, that very particular stillness is very interesting to me. He’s an artist who made up his own rules— I mean, the perspective is kind of wonky, but who cares? It's a painted world. And that world is an echo of other artists. It goes to show you, we’re all just talking to each other, across time, inspiring each other to just keep making.