Marshal des Logis Frumence Biche of the 35th Artillery 1893

Curator: I’m immediately struck by the unwavering gaze and rigid posture in Henri Rousseau’s portrait of *Marshal des Logis Frumence Biche of the 35th Artillery*, dating from 1893. The seriousness just pops! It's... endearing? What do you make of it? Editor: Well, I see it less as endearing, more as emblematic. Think of the mustache – perfectly symmetrical, rigidly horizontal. A symbol, really, of controlled authority and perhaps even…expectation? Paired with that very serious demeanor...it’s not lighthearted, no. Curator: Right. This is Rousseau channeling something archetypal through poor Frumence. Those tiny gold buttons, mirroring one another down his tunic— it’s almost hypnotic. It's a very formal pose. Very studied. The way he has rendered Frumence and set the figure in this very basic composition tells a deeper story of his societal role as part of the military body...What visual motifs stand out for you? Editor: Precisely! Think about the sword hanging by his side. It’s a thin, vertical slash, representing military power but also, traditionally, justice and defense. Juxtapose this against that odd, hazy background... It reads as dreamlike in its stark simplicity. Curator: Almost unsettlingly so. Look at how he simplified Frumence. Oil paint is used, of course, but look at those lines, and at his expression. Not exactly photorealistic. One wonders if Rousseau met this gentleman in person... Editor: I imagine not, and in simplifying the landscape, flattening the space between Frumence and the hazy horizon, Rousseau emphasizes his permanence. A static symbol more than a dynamic person. Curator: And this brings us to the true core of Rousseau, doesn’t it? Seeing past reality. He saw something archetypal when he fixed this guy with paint. Perhaps more accurately, something symbolic he believed to be true of marshals and artilleryman as part of an essential class in French life at that point, than truly attempting a biographical statement? Editor: That’s how I read it. Rather, "Marshal des Logis Frumence Biche" transforms, in Rousseau's eyes, to 'The' Military Authority, if that makes any sense. His humanity is subsumed by the role, the uniform... and, yes, that fierce little mustache. Curator: Leaving us, generations later, to muse over its enduring, somewhat bizarre, power. That's beautiful. Editor: Absolutely. We get a lot from this one image to examine...so, onward!