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Georges Rouault (1871-1958), Our Lady of the Fields, No. 4, circa 1920-1939, French. Oil on paper, mounted on canvas. 74.3 x 61.6 cm. Courtesy of the Dayton Art Institute (http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/), Dayton, Ohio; gift of Mr John W. Sweeterman in memory of Jeanne F. Sweeterman, 1996.255. Copyright 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, New York/ADAGP, Paris, France.

Human suffering is the enduring theme in the art of Georges Rouault (1871-1958). The sad clowns and weary prostitutes in his dark, smudgy paintings wear the facial expressions of their private moments, when people allow themselves to look the way they feel. Critics complained that his subjects were distressing and his pictures were ugly, but of course there is nothing pretty about human suffering.

Rouault was born during the German bombardment of Paris in 1871. At age 14, he was apprenticed to an artisan who made and restored stained glass windows, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Thomas B. Cole, MD, MPH