As the greatest artist of the time in the first half of the 20th century surpassing Henri Matisse and Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Georges Henri Rouault (1871-1958) was a painter who created a world of his own with a unique art style in an era of Fauvism, Cubism and e-x-p-r-e-s-s-i-o-nism. Two world wars passed through his life, but he turned the scars left by war into deep affection for the poor and marginalized people in society. Georges Rouault’s works that express noble love of humanity through endless contemplation ask questions about the contradictions and irrationalities of society and hold the spirit of the times he lived. Rouault was a pious person and is also well known as a religious painter who produced various works with the Bible as the theme.

This exhibition presents about 200 of Rouault’s works including his representative print work, , along with other paintings, ceramics, tapestry and stained glass work in six different themes - ‘Souvenirs Intimes’, ‘Women, Nude’, ‘Still Life and Landscapes’, ‘The Passion of Jesus Christ’, ‘Miserere’ and ‘Circus and Clowns’. In the first theme, ‘Souvenirs Intimes’, you can see Gustave Moreau (1826-1898) who was a symbolist painter and teacher of Rouault who greatly influenced his life and art style, André Suarès (1868-1948) who was a French poet and critic and other faces who changed Rouault’s life and the warm gaze of Rouault upon them. In ‘Women, Nude’ and ‘Still Life and Landscapes’, you can see the solemn matiere e-x-p-r-e-s-s-i-o-n and resonation of free and powerful lines and ‘The Passion of Jesus Christ’ shows how Rouault saw Jesus Christ as a devout Catholic and Biblical characters can be seen in works such as , and . ‘Miserere’ is known as the best work in the entire life of an artist recognized as a master of religious paintings. It is a series of 58 prints and is evaluated as a work that depicts the suffering of human beings with a tragedy of war and as a religious work that adds the society of the times. Finally, in ‘Circus and Clowns’, the anger and sadness regarding social injustice which is deeply rooted in the inner side of the socially low level lives like clowns and the poor is depicted with a wide brush.

Art records life and we seek deep traces held within it. The demands of macro-view and micro-care set off by the climate crisis, epidemics and war have become a way of survival in the 21st century. In an era of human absence that leads to war, poverty and suffering which lie at the foundation of that way of survival, we hope this exhibition will be an opportunity to sympathize with Rouault’s works which preserve human nobility and raise questions about the essence of life and be comforted by them.

Georges Rouault