Rouault, Georges, << roo OH, zhawrzh >> (1871-1958), was a French artist. He was a deeply religious man with strong moral convictions, and his works show his hatred of hypocrisy, poverty, sin, and war.
Rouault was born in Paris. From 1885 to 1890, he worked for a maker of stained-glass windows. Rouault’s paintings, with their thick black outlines and intense, glowing color, show the influence of stained-glass design. About 1905, Rouault was briefly associated with a group of painters called the Fauves (see Fauves ). The Fauves’ bold brushstrokes and dramatic color contrasts became important parts of his style. From about 1903 to 1916, he painted religious subjects and sad clowns, and satirical pictures of prostitutes and corrupt judges. These works reflect misery and pain as expressed by the crude, rugged forms with their hacked-out edges.
From 1916 to 1927, Rouault worked on a series of 58 aquatints and etchings. This series, called Miserere, was published in 1948 and ranks among the great achievements in modern printmaking. From 1927 until his death, Rouault painted clowns and religious pictures, but chose fewer satirical subjects.
