Henri Rousseau - View of Ile Saint-Louis, Near Port Saint-Nicolas, Evening

Henri Rousseau (1844–1910) was completely untrained in any established art techniques. He is best known for his naïve, or primitive, childlike jungle scenes. He was good at painting and music as a child but spent most of his life in the profession of a customs officer at the outskirts of town. Because of this, he was also referred to as Le Douanier or the “Customs Officer.” He started painting seriously at the age of forty and by the time he was 49 he retired from his job to paint full time.