Painting reproduction handmade of the artwork
Landscape of Algiers (Rousseau)

With “Landscape of Algiers,” Henri Rousseau surprises us by tackling an Orientalist theme, he who never left France. He paints a dreamed-of and exotic vision of the city of Algiers. In the foreground, on a green hill, a group of figures in white robes rests next to a richly harnessed camel. The composition opens onto a bay where several sailboats navigate, with the white city of Algiers rising in tiers in the background under a vast blue sky. Rousseau’s naive style is perfectly suited to this subject, allowing him to create a scene worthy of a tale from the Arabian Nights. He does not seek topographical accuracy, but an atmosphere of escapism and serenity. The colors are clear and bright, contributing to this idealized vision of a peaceful and majestic Orient.