Georges Rouault was a French painter linked to Fauvism and Expressionism, known for thick black contours and glowing colors shaped by his early work with stained glass. His art often carried a deep moral weight.
Born in Paris in 1871 to a poor family, he apprenticed as a glass painter at fourteen. Those years shaped the heavy outlines that later became his signature.
He studied under Gustave Moreau at the École des Beaux‑Arts and became his favorite student, later serving as curator of the Moreau Museum.
Rouault first painted harsh scenes of clowns, courts and prostitutes, mixing satire with compassion. His friendships with Matisse and Marquet placed him near the Fauves.
By 1907 he leaned strongly toward Expressionism, using stark contrasts and emotional force influenced by Van Gogh.
Religious themes soon dominated his work. He saw human suffering reflected in Christ’s passion and painted it with fierce sincerity.
He exhibited worldwide, created designs for Diaghilev’s Prodigal Son, and burned hundreds of unfinished works before dying in 1958 at age eighty‑six.