Item Details:

LA SIBYLLE DE CUMES

GEORGES ROUAULT

Mid 20th Century Modern, 1928

Lithograph

Edition: Artist Proof

Lithograph on Arches wove paper

Size: 18.5 x 25.6 in; 46.99 x 65.02 cm

Signed: unsigned Printer's Proof

A pioneering expressionist painter (influenced by the German Expressionists, though not formally associated with that group), Georges Rouault created pictures recognizable for the thick black brushstrokes that outline their subjects, as in le lutteur, no. 3 (1913). Rouault’s works resemble the cloissonisme of decorative glasswork, a look often attributed to the artist’s teenage years spent as a glass painter’s apprentice. In 1891 Rouault enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts and studied closely under Symbolist Gustave Moreau. He later associated with the Fauvists and collaborated with Henri Matisse and André Derain to organize the Salon d’Automne, an exhibition of progressive art rejected by the more conservative Paris Salon. But rather than create pleasing “armchair” pictures like those of many of his contemporaries, Rouault applied his rough painterly style to religious subjects, clowns, and circus performers, using these motifs to reflect on religion, morality, and modern life.

In 1907, following in the expressionistic style of the day, Rouault commenced a series of paintings dedicated to courts, clowns, and prostitutes. These paintings are interpreted as moral and social criticism. He became attracted to Spiritualism and the dramatic existentialism of the philosopher Jacques Maritain, who remained a close friend for the rest of his life. After that, he dedicated himself to religious subjects. Human nature was always the focus of his interest. Rouault said: "A tree against the sky possesses the same interest, the same character, the same expression as the figure of a human." Known for utilizing his characteristic bold black figure outlines in his paintings and lithographs, his use of stark contrasts and emotionality is credited to the influence of Vincent van Gogh. His characterizations of overemphasized grotesque personalities inspired the expressionist painters. Here, Rouault, depicts a sibyl which were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece.

Collected by major museums: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)|Centre Pompidou|Tate|The Metropolitan Museum of Art|National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.|San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)|Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden|Dallas Museum of Art|Art Institute of Chicago|MCA Chicago|Moderna Museet, Stockholm