Christ au Faubourg 1935

Georges Rouault made this painting, Christ au Faubourg, with ink and gouache, and you can almost feel him at work, shifting and improvising as the scene emerges. I imagine Rouault standing before the paper, working quickly, urgently. The ink is brushed on in bold strokes, defining the figures and the architecture with a stark, graphic quality. Look at the thick, dark outlines that give weight and definition to the forms, like stained glass, yet dissolving at the edges. The artist seems interested in how he can combine a graphic sensibility with looser painterly gestures. The monochromatic palette reinforces the somber mood, emphasizing the poverty-stricken figures and the grim urban landscape. This work resonates with other artists interested in the human condition, like Käthe Kollwitz, who also used printmaking to portray the suffering of the working class. It’s like a conversation between artists across time, each adding their voice to the ongoing exploration of what it means to be human.