La Guerre (War) depicts a young female personification of war who sits sidesaddle on a dark horse galloping over corpses on a battlefield. War holds a sword and a smoking torch. She is grinning, nearly demented in an ecstacy of destruction and death. Crows feast on the dead. The bright orange paper heightens the surreal effetcs, as if illuminated by the glare of bomb blasts or fire.

Rousseau began painting in a naive or primitive style around 1885. Best known for his jungle pictures, he had a rich repertoire of subjects: exotic landscapes, still life, genre, portraits, and historical scenes.

Source: News November December 2000.