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Why was Henri Rousseau’s painting The War important to his career?
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Henri Rousseau
Myself: Portrait-Landscape, oil on canvas by Henri Rousseau, 1890; in the National Gallery, Prague. 146 × 113 cm.
Henri Rousseau’s painting The War (1894) was a pivotal work in his career because it demonstrated a striking use of allegory, which convinced some viewers that he was more than just a minor landscapist.1
Exhibited at the 1894 Salon des Indépendants, the painting prompted the publication of an article in the avant-garde review Le Mercure de France that praised his work. This marked the beginning of Rousseau’s recognition as a serious painter among intellectuals and the avant-garde circle.1