Liberty Inviting Artists to Take Part in the 22nd Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists 1906

Henri Rousseau painted ‘Liberty Inviting Artists to Take Part in the 22nd Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists’ without an exact date, but you can see his process laid bare in every element of this utopian scene. The way the paint sits on the canvas, you can feel the materiality of it. It’s not about illusionism, it's about process and the joy of making something. Look at the sky, it’s not about a photographic rendering of depth and distance. It's a flat plane with a very even, hazy tone, emphasizing a feeling of dreamlike spaciousness. The angel is this really solid form with definitive outlines, but then the modeling of her form is really simplistic. The angel is a great example of Rousseau’s broader practice. He saw painting as a medium to embrace, not overcome. Rather than attempting to trick the eye, it’s about celebrating the materiality of paint itself. Like with Paul Klee, this piece reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation, where ambiguity and multiple interpretations should be celebrated above fixed meanings.