Classroom Activity Art Starters: Henri Rousseau Part of Art Tales for Pre-K Henri Rousseau never saw a real jungle! To make his jungle paintings, he first visited the botanical garden and zoo in Paris, drawing the tropical plants and animals he saw there. At home in his studio, he combined and changed the plants in his sketches to create imaginary jungles for animals from different parts of the world. Henri Rousseau, Tropical Forest with Monkeys , 1910, oil on canvas, John Hay Whitney Collection