Nu de Profil 1936 - 1938

Georges Rouault made this painting, Nu de Profil, with oil paint, working with a palette of ochre, black, and blues. The paint handling feels immediate, like he's figuring out the body as he goes, not trying to make a perfect representation, but feeling his way through it. Look at how Rouault uses thick black outlines to define the figure against the background, which kind of reminds me of stained glass. The skin tones are built up with layers of ochre and orange, almost like he's sculpting with color, and the blues and greens in the background create a moody atmosphere. Notice that area around the figure's head, where the black outline thickens and almost swallows the form. It gives the painting a sense of weight and intensity. There's a raw emotional quality here that reminds me of work by someone like Paula Modersohn-Becker, or even some of the German Expressionists. It makes you realize that painting is not just about what you see, but about how you feel.