Georges Rouault: Le Laquais

Georges Rouault began his artistic journey as an apprentice in a stained-glass studio - a formative experience that deeply influenced his artistic sensibilities. He became known for his deeply emotional and spiritually charged works which often featured hauntingly expressive faces and vivid colours. Rouault’s unique perspective on the interplay of colour, light and emotion transcended the boundaries of traditional art and paved the way for a broader exploration of expressionism in various creative fields.

In 1917 Ambroise Vollard, an innovative Parisian art dealer, became Rouault’s champion and encouraged a period of intense printmaking activity. Vollard advocated the idea of the peintres-graveurs—painters who also worked as printmakers — underscoring their dual mastery of both media. This approach positioned the prints as exclusive and prestigious works which appealed to a burgeoning class of collectors.

In 1936, Rouault had undertaken, one last time, to illustrate a volume of French poetry by Charles Baudelaire - Les Fleurs du Mal with 30 colour etchings; however, only 12 plates were completed and the work interrupted by the death of Ambroise Vollard in 1939.