A Museum of Fine Art in Madison, Georgia

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AUDIO 6: Georges Rouault

Georges Rouault French, (1871-1958) Jesus Hooni (Jesus Reviled) Lithograph, 1930 Born to a working-class family in war torn Paris, Avant-guarde Expressionist Roualt is widely regarded as the most important 20th century religious artist. He is famous for his emotional depiction of man’s cruelty to man and images of Christ as the Redeemer of mankind. As with other “expressionists,” rather than objectively depict his motifs, Rouault visually communicated his psychological and emotionally charged state of mind regarding his subjects. A devout Catholic, his favorite subject was the image of Christ, observing that his "only ambition is to be able to paint a Christ so moving that those who see Him will be converted." Rouault received early art education from his maternal grandfather, and at age 14, he apprenticed to a stained glass artisan for five years. His enduring affection for this medium marks his signature artistic style of thick black outlines, rich luminous color, and icon-like patterns. Beginning in 1914, Rouault focused exclusively on printmaking for the next 20 years. In this period, he executed Miserere, a masterpiece of Christ-centric etchings and commentary on war including the effects of weapons of mass destruction and the cruelty of man. With the failure of the League of Nations after World War I, and the failure of the United Nations after World War II to ensure the last war would be "the last," Rouault showed new audiences that "Man is a beast to man" and declared Christ as man’s only salvation. Works by this artist are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art in New York, Cleveland Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Tate Gallery in London, Hermitage Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago. 2007 Gift from Ms. Adelai Holt

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