Landscape and Four Fisherman (Paysage et quatre pêcheurs à la ligne)

A cluster of pale buildings rises along the edge of a river, framed by tall, slender trees that stand almost like sentinels above the water. Below, four figures sit quietly with their lines cast into the green current, absorbed in the stillness of the afternoon. The scene unfolds in soft, even light, giving the whole composition a calm, orderly feeling despite its density of detail. This oil painting, titled Landscape and Four Fisherman, was completed in 1909 and is held today at the Barnes Foundation. Henri Rousseau, a French painter associated with naïve art and primitivism, also created The Dream. One detail worth noticing is how the water takes on a vivid green tone, setting the fishermen apart from the pale structures and foliage that surround them.