Georges Roualt
Born – Paris, France 1871
Died – Paris, France 1958
Georges Roualt trained in a stained-glass workshop, where he developed a feeling for strong colours and bold outlines. In 1892, he studied under Gustave Moreeau at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts where he met Matisse. This led to a brief association with the Fauves, but Roualt’s dark, sombre art was very different from the colours and decorative paintings produced by the circle of artists around Matisse. Initially an ardent Catholic, Roualt experienced a crisis of artistic and religious confidence in 1902. Surveying the world around him, he looked to people existing on he margins of society, such as clowns and prostitutes, to express his Old Testament vision of a world fallen from grace. His harsh, violent style, with its dark outlines and distorted forms, revealed an admiration for Goya. The expressionistic Bust of a Woman Wearing a Necklace is a typical Roualt portrait, the black outlines helping to give structure to the woman’s head and shoulders. Dramatic intensity is given to the composition through the touches of red on the lips, in the hair and around the throat. From 1940, Roualt painted exclusively religious themes. His prodigious output included book illustrations, ceramics, tapestry and stage-set designs.
Masterpieces:
- Circus Performer
- The Three Judges
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About georges roualt
Georges Roualt (1871 - ) (The Pocket Library of Great Art, A14)
Jacques Maritain
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Roualt
Georges Roualt
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Miserere
Georges Roualt
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