The Sleeping Gypsy

Henri_Rousseau_Sleeping_Gypsy

Artist
Henri Rousseau

Year
1897

Medium
Oil on canvas

Location
Museum of Modern Art

Dimensions
51.0 in × 79.0 in

129.5 cm × 200.7 cm

Famous Paintings by Henri Rousseau
Tiger in a Tropical Storm
The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope
The Dream
A Carnival Evening
The Sleeping Gypsy
The Football Players
The Snake Charmer
Boy on the Rocks
Exotic Landscape
Complete Works

In 1897 Henri Rousseau created The Sleeping Gypsy. It has been purchased by many different buyers, but it is now housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Background

When Rousseau first created this painting he attempted to sell it to the mayor of his hometown. Unfortunately, the mayor did not pick it up so it was sold to a private collection.

Appearance

The Sleeping Gypsy shows a lion and a woman sleeping in a desert. The moon is out and the sky is clear, with a few stars shown throughout the darkness. In the background are a few soft mountains and flat earth. The woman sleeping is wearing a colorful dress and lying next to a vase and a guitar. The large lion is standing beside her, his head bowed down next to her head. When first looking at this piece, the eyes go to the moon, but then quickly to the woman on the ground.