Satan 1925 - 1927

Georges Rouault made this print, Satan, using aquatint and etching, where he seemed to be figuring out how to embrace the dark. I love the thick outlines and the way the white pops against the deep, moody blacks. You can almost feel the bite of the acid on the plate, it's really visceral. Look closely, and you'll notice Rouault doesn't try to hide the process; each mark feels deliberate, raw, like he's wrestling with the image. The way he’s built up the layers, scratching and scraping – it’s like he’s digging into something hidden, something unsettling. Check out how the white on the figure's arms almost glows. It's as though he's searching for a way to represent something that lurks in the shadows. There's a similarity to Käthe Kollwitz's exploration of grief and social injustice in her prints, though Rouault brings his own unique, spiritual flavor. In the end, the piece captures a moment in the artistic process, a dance with darkness and light.