Object Image

Two clowns, outlined heavily in black, face one another. One wears a costume of intense red, while the other is dressed in harlequin colors. Georges Rouault was a deeply spiritual man. His compassion for social outcasts and human suffering can be felt in his paintings, many of which have overtly religious subjects. As a young man, the artist was apprenticed to a stained glass painter. His choice of rich colors and black contours may be a reference to church windows and their sacred scenes.

Gift of the Friends of Art...

c. 1930-1935
Oil on canvas
13.6 x 10.0in
50-59
Text: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2023
Image: Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Where you'll find this

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Permanent collection