The Sleeping Gypsy 1897

In this fantastical oil painting, the self-taught French Post-Impressionist Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) depicts a woman sleeping soundly in a desert landscape. She is approached by a lion with a wild mane, while a full moon beams down from the upper right portion of the canvas. 🌕 Painted in 1897, ‘The Sleeping Gypsy’ is now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It’s displayed in Room 501, directly next to Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic ‘The Starry Night’ (1889). How might this change interpretations of the work? Why might the curator have chosen to pair these paintings? 🖼️ There are several immediate similarities between the two famous paintings. Both emerged from France in the late nineteenth-century. They each incorporate unconventional landscapes with star-studded skies of rich blue. ✨ The woman in ‘The Sleeping Gypsy’ wears a long stripy dress in bold colours. She clutches a staff or stick, suggesting that she has been walking through the desertscape for an extended period of time. In the foreground lies a mandolin, alongside a terracotta vase. 🏺 The simple, satisfying shapes communicate a sense of peace and tranquillity. Take a look at the smooth sand and dreamlike hills of the background! The woman is depicted in a deep sleep – despite the presence of the lion, there is no impression of danger. This symbolises harmony with the natural world. 🕊️ As a naïve artist, Henri Rousseau was untrained and did not conform to conventions of perspective or realism. Yet his work is far from simple. What do you like most about this painting? 👇💭 Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham