Main page

Exhibits

Programs

Calendar

Museum News

Museum Collection

Education

Information

George Rouault: Miserere, 1914-1927

September 22 - November 30, 2001

Rouault Exhibit Images

Georges Rouault, En ces temps noirs de jactance et d'incroyance, Notre-Dame de la Fin des Terres vigilante. In these dark times of vainglory and unbelief, Our Lady of Land's End keeps vigil. 1914 - 1927, etching 21" by 18", Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Religious ARt, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Mo. higher-resolution image

The de Saisset Museum presents an exhibition of 58 etchings by the artist Georges Rouault, on loan from the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Mo.

Georges Rouault (1871-1958), French painter and graphic artist, is known primarily as a deeply religious artist whose work resembles stained glass. At the very beginning of WWI, Rouault conceived the Miserere series of etchings. At first, two volumes with a total of 100 plates were projected, one titled Miserere ("Mercy") and the other titled Guerre ("War"). Ambroise Vollard, the foremost Parisian art dealer of the early 20th century and the man who gave Cezanne, Picasso, and Maillol their first one-man shows, agreed to finance and publish both volumes. Long afterward, when 58 plates had been completed, it was announced that they would appear under the title Miserere et Guerre, and still later, it was shortened to Miserere.

Thirteen years passed between Rouault's first drawings for the plates in 1914, and their final printing in 1927; 21 more years elapsed before their publication. The creation of the individual prints was equally arduous: After the first drawings were made, at Vollard's order they were transformed into paintings, in gouache or oil. The designs were also photoengraved upon the largest copper plates that the etching press could accommodate, about 21 x 18 inches. These were given to Rouault for further development, and for five years, from 1922-1927, in obsession, delight, and despair, he worked at perfecting the Miserere plates. He used whatever combination of techniques he felt would achieve his desired result: aquatint, drypoint, roulette, and direct application of acid with a brush. The 58 etchings were presented unframed, in the form of an album. It is thought by many to be the greatest single work of 20th century religious art.

The Miserere project reflects the time in which it was created--the beginning of the First World War. Miserere's sources are the Bible and Christain literature, political and social concerns of the day, and modern poetry and plays. Rouault's horror and compassion inspired by WWI certainly impacted the poignant, haunting images in Miserere, which have been described as having the power and clarity of icons.