Artworks are lost for several reasons. Disasters – both natural and
man-made, war, repression by political or religious authorities, or
destruction at the hands of artists themselves seem the most common
cause. Whatever the reason, a lost artwork is always a huge loss to our
shared cultural heritage.
10
A Portrait of Alfred Jarry
Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau was a post-impressionist painter whose child-like
works had a profound impact on the surrealist, expressionist and
primitivist movements. Alfred Jarry was a genius playwright whose own
work had a huge impact on the course of modernist theater, influencing
Dada, Surrealism, and the Theater of the Absurd. According to popular
legend, Jarry in fact inspired Rousseau to paint by declaring he had the
face of an artist. In 1895, Jarry, who had written some positive
reviews for the now noteworthy Rousseau, sat for a portrait by the
artist. Frustrated by vanity, Jarry could not stand the results and
promptly destroyed the canvas, thus depriving today’s audiences of a
glimpse into the world of two precursors to so much modern art.
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