Les Fleurs du Mal Possibly 1966

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to this intriguing print. Believed to be from 1966, and made by the renowned Georges Rouault, what do you think about it? It’s named "Les Fleurs du Mal.” Editor: Mmm, well my first impression is almost aquatic - this pastel blue almost calls out the subtle patterns, that resemble microscopic lifeforms under glass. Not quite what springs to mind when one hears the name 'Flowers of Evil'! Curator: You see the microscopic; that's fascinating. In context, it might be more about confronting the overlooked, or what’s easily dismissed. Rouault created the print on paper. One should view it in connection to Baudelaire’s poems, of course; that challenges the prevailing ideals of beauty within a rapidly changing, often oppressive, industrializing world. Editor: So, subverting the industrial with nature then? Is that how Rouault's work speaks to the socio-political currents? Curator: Precisely. And note how Rouault, throughout his career, confronted what he called modern society’s moral ugliness and alienation from the natural. The use of a repetitive pattern might reflect on an industrialized setting; note as well, how this print has a sense of being behind a screen - almost looking in. It may give you an indication of the overall artistic intent. Editor: It makes you think, that's for sure. At first, the patterns seemed serene, but that 'screen' feel creates a real separation. The industrial theme makes sense, reflecting perhaps the hidden chaos lurking within superficial pleasantries. Curator: It also prompts questions about repetition in culture and meaning-making doesn't it? We seek familiar patterns, perhaps as solace, but Rouault suggests this could mask uncomfortable truths. The scale of this forces that intimacy but allows critical distance, like facing the unvarnished soul through literature, which connects back again, and beautifully, to Baudelaire's dark beauty! Editor: Indeed! Overall, I think this has nudged me to view the art more critically; the print has an aura of concealed meaning within mundane, repetitive structure. Curator: Yes! A powerful example of confronting social ills and finding strange beauty by looking underneath the patterns and embracing the unexpected.