1977 Edition of "Georges Roualt", by Pierre Courthion, From the Library of Great Painters

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Offered is a 1977 edition of monograph art book "Georges Roualt", by Pierre Courthion, originaly published in French in 1961, … Read more Offered is a 1977 edition of monograph art book "Georges Roualt", by Pierre Courthion, originaly published in French in 1961, and published in the US by Harry N. Abrams in 1962. This edition is part of their "Library of Great Painters" and includes 160 pp., 132 illustrations including 48 full color tipped in illustrations.
Hardcover, dust jacket, blue white heathered linen boards, gold embossed title and spine, has been protected in cellophane book wrapper by meticulous previous owners.
Measures 10" w, 13.25" h, 1.25" deep

About the artist (Brittanica)
(1871–1958). The French painter Georges Rouault is widely considered the greatest religious painter of the 20th century. His paintings of corrupt officials, of a serene Christ, and of sorrowful clowns have a powerful beauty. They express with great intensity his concern with moral issues and suffering humanity. In style his paintings are reminiscent of the stained-glass windows of medieval churches. Thick black lines, like the leading of such windows, break up and outline his forms, and his colors have a gemlike glow.

Georges-Henri Rouault was born on May 27, 1871, in a cellar in Paris, France, during a bombardment of that city by government forces attempting to overthrow the revolutionary Commune of Paris. Rouault’s father was a cabinetmaker, and at 14 the boy was apprenticed to a maker of stained glass. At 20 he quit his apprenticeship to enroll at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied painting until 1895.

Rouault was deeply influenced by the Roman Catholic writer Léon Bloy, who saw sin and misery in modern life. Many of the painter’s early works bitterly depict human corruption. His later work is marked more by pity and sorrow. Typical are The Old King, originally painted in 1916 and reworked by Rouault in 1936, Christ Mocked by the Soldiers (1932), and The Three Judges (1937–38).

Rouault’s renown as a printmaker resulted from the numerous series of prints and illustrations he created for Ambroise Vollard, a book publisher and the agent for Rouault’s work between 1916 and 1939. The book of prints entitled Miserere, showing the effects of war on men, is the most famous. Rouault died in Paris on Feb. 13, 1958.

Trained under stained-glass makers from 1885 to 1890, restoring medieval windows which profoundly shaped his artistic use of glowing colors framed by dark, heavy contours.
• École des Beaux-Arts: Studied under Symbolist master Gustave Moreau, alongside peers like Henri Matisse. Rouault later served as the first curator of the Musée Gustave Moreau.
Style and Major Themes
• Religious Expressionism: A devout Roman Catholic, Rouault viewed his art as a form of prayer, centering heavily on the Passion of Christ, suffering, and redemption.
• Outcast Subjects: Frequently painted marginalized or tragic figures, including clowns, prostitutes, beggars, and stern judges, reflecting deep empathy for the human condition.
• Fauvism and Independence: Exhibited at the 1905 Salon d'Automne which launched Fauvism, though his dark, existential tone remained uniquely aligned with Expressionism.
• Printmaking Masterpieces: Collaborated with dealer Ambroise Vollard on monumental graphic portfolios, notably his masterpiece print series Miserere See less