Christ et Docteur 1937

Georges Rouault made this painting with oil paint, and it’s got these really strong lines and blocks of color – red, yellow, black – that kind of grab you, right? I imagine Rouault, maybe in a bit of a frenzy, layering these colors, almost like he’s carving out the shapes of these faces. See how thick the paint is in some spots? It’s like he’s building up the surface, trying to find the right expression, the right mood. That intense stare and gesture, as if the figures are trying to understand something important together, or maybe they are in disagreement. It reminds me of other expressionist painters like Emil Nolde, who weren’t afraid to use color and distortion to convey feeling. Painting is always a conversation, right? We’re all riffing off each other, trying to push things further, to say something new. And that’s what makes it so exciting!