The Friar c. 1930

Georges Rouault made this painting, The Friar, with oil on canvas, though the date is unknown. The way Rouault uses heavy, dark outlines here reminds me a bit of stained glass, each shape boldly separated, allowing the colors within to glow. Notice how the paint is thick, almost sculptural, giving the surface a tactile quality. There's a real physicality to it, a sense that Rouault was wrestling with the material, pushing and pulling it to create this form. The colours are muted, like they’ve been aged with time, but there are hints of brighter tones. Take a look at the Friar’s face. There’s something so raw and vulnerable about it, especially the simple, almost childlike eyes. This rawness is a thread through his work, he seems to share a sensibility with artists like Emil Nolde in his expressive use of colour and simplified forms. But whereas Nolde's colours are often strident, Rouault's always seem to have a layer of dust about them. Art’s like a big conversation, right?