Henri Rousseau

Henri Rousseau is most celebrated as being one of the best naive artists. He was given the nickname la Dounaier (although he never reached this position), which stemmed from a job he held from 1871 to 1893, where he worked with the Paris Customs Office. Prior to this career, he served in the army. During this time, painting was something that he did as a hobby, and in 1893, he accepted early retirement, which allowed him to focus on painting full time. This in turn allowed him to better his from, and create a name for himself in the world of art.