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…a child of its time

It was not until the end of the 19th century that Naive Art was recognized and appreciated. The word "naive" was first used to describe the works of Le Douanier Rousseau (1844-1910), who first came into the public eye with the founding of the Salon des Artistes indépendants in 1885. It was at this time that many artists, including the Impressionists, began questioning the classical tradition which dominated the French Art world of the period. This resulted in a new climate of originality and innovation.

At first, Naive Art was received with contempt. It conformed neither to the academic precepts of Classicism nor to the movement towards abstraction at the start of the 20th century. However, as the growing disadvantages of mass industrialisation and the end of the First World War brought about radical changes in attitude to class and human values in general, so artists and critics came to recognise and accept this new style of figurative art. In 1928, Wilhelm Uhde organised the first Naive Art exhibition in Paris. This exhibition brought together the work of five artists, known as the « Sacred Heart » painters : Le Douanier Rousseau, André Bauchant, Camille Bombois, Séraphine de Senlis and Louis Vivin. At the same period, Naive Art experiences an international evolution, mostly in the United States, ex-Yugoslavia and Haiti.

Lucien Le Guern, Liberation during the Second World War, oil on canvas, 21.6x31.8in.

Naïve Art has flourished since the beginning of the 20th century. Its influence has spread and it now arouses much interest throughout the world. Once looked down upon as a minor genre, it is now recognised as a genuine and important art form.

… of simple origins

The vast majority of the so-called "naive artists" are self-taught, and come from humble backgrounds (farmhands, factory workers...). They often choose to remain anonymous, although some of them have become famous. Their works are the products of instinct, spontaneity and experience, a reflection of very personal sensitivities. They claim no affiliation with any artistic theory or influence. Each one of these artists invents his own means of expression.

Yvon Daigle, The television Room, 1978, acrylic on canvas, 18x12in.

Naive Art possesses a characteristic innocence and sincerity of vision. With its bright colours, flattened perspective and sometimes unskilled brushstrokes, its works can be reminiscent of childrens’ paintings, but hidden behind this apparent candour lie elaborate technical and optical conventions, conscious stylisation and visual harmony seldom present in infantine art. An enduring prejudice assimilates Naive Art with a lack of technique, which in turn fuels the misconception that the genre grew out of this apparently clumsy art, when in fact it is the genre which has skillfully adapted itself to an untrained approach to creation.

The simplification found in the genre, while occasionally used to bypass technical difficulties, is more often a means of pushing to the limits the boundaries of figuration and thus creating a more powerful, very direct visual and emotional impact.

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