Henri Rousseau's Woman With An Umbrella In An Exotic Forest

In the art piece that I have finished, I attempted to emulate such a style as seen in Henri Rousseau’s oil painting Woman With an Umbrella in an Exotic Forest. This piece was chosen for its subject matter, as it mixes two of the prime things Henri is remembered for painting in his signature manner: deep, detailed verdancy, and human figures. Although typically separate, this particular piece showcased both of his unique skill-sets in action together. While planning the piece, a portrait-style orientation was chosen, so as to remain close to the original. However, instead of employing oil paints, like those of Mr. Rousseau, I opted to paint with watercolor. Henri’s rich balance between vibrant, saturated tones and darker, duller shadows

On both pieces, a slightly textured surface was used as a base. Upon that base lies the hallmark of Rousseau’s art - lush, exotic foliage punctuated only by a subdued blue sky and contrasting only with the central figure. In order to remain as close to Rousseau’s style as possible, the figures of the plants and the person were layered on, so as to achieve an overlapping effect that would in turn create Rousseau’s prime illusion of depth. Also similar was the choice to keep lighter colors in the foreground and transition to darker shades in the back. The woman wears a vibrant, puffy red dress, holding an ivory umbrella in both paintings, and sports hair of a color close to that of the trees. Once the sketch of complicated growth and initial watercolor was was completed, I then transitioned to markers, darkening areas in need of more shadow such as the trees and plants in the background, which paid more homage to Rousseau’s style. After, the use of watercolor pencils were added. Their soft texture aided in achieving the image of a more oily, thicker medium, such as that of the oil paint employed by the original artist. Lastly, as a finishing touch, the woman and the areas where plants crossed over one another were outlined faintly with a fine-point