"La prostitution s'allume dans les rues ..." 1925 - 1927

Curator: Good morning. We're looking at a work by Georges Rouault entitled "\"La prostitution s'allume dans les rues ...\"" created between 1925 and 1927 using charcoal. Editor: It hits you right away, doesn't it? Like a punch to the gut. Stark. Bleak. Makes you feel...unsettled. Curator: That emotional intensity is central to Rouault's Expressionist style, channeling a deep-seated critique of societal ills. The stark blacks and whites aren’t merely aesthetic; they are morally charged. Editor: Absolutely. And the subject, presumably a woman, maybe a prostitute from the title, rendered so heavily. There's no flattering portrayal here, no idealized form. It's almost brutal. Curator: Rouault's approach reflects his devout Catholicism, viewing such figures with a complex blend of pity and condemnation, highlighting suffering but also the inherent human dignity within. It is fascinating how the figure is placed within a crude frame, echoing the stained-glass windows he saw during his apprenticeship. Editor: It’s like the frame is both containing her and highlighting the isolation, the feeling of being trapped. The rough, almost violent strokes of the charcoal create an oppressive atmosphere, reinforcing this sense of entrapment. Does this draw on societal concepts of femininity as inherently linked to corruption? Curator: To a degree, the title indicates societal blame. But the blurred and undefined edges, coupled with her forward gaze, could symbolise not only vulnerability, but also her defiant spirit, a refusal to be wholly consumed by circumstance. There is evidence to support both viewpoints. Editor: You know, even with the heavy lines and darkness, I find something hauntingly beautiful about her. A resilience perhaps, even in the face of immense hardship. It gets under your skin and makes you question. Curator: The layering of emotional and symbolic meanings is a core part of why Rouault’s prints, particularly those of marginalized people, resonate so profoundly to this day. Editor: Exactly, something almost timeless about the exploration of moral conflicts that remains disturbingly relevant. Well worth the contemplation.