.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
This work is sold with a photo-certificate from Isabelle Rouault.
Painted in 1938, Tzigane belongs to a series of male characters Georges Rouault painted toward the end of the 1930s. It portrays a man, absorbed in his thoughts, presented in a humble yet solemn pose. The way his body squarely occupies the space suggests strength, while the averted eyes and the serious facial expression convey earnestness and modesty. In its mood, the work expresses that Christian value of compassion that characterized much of Rouault's artistic production.
In its technique, Tzigane perfectly showcases Rouault's approach to painting, characterised by the use of brilliant colours, enclosed in thick black lines. This technique, reminiscent of glazed windows in its effect, is linked to the artist's early years of apprenticeship in the studio of the glazier Hirsch, an experience that would leave a strong mark on Rouault.
Tzigane first belonged to the influential art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who throughout his life had maintained with Rouault a lasting and consistent relationship. Upon meeting Rouault in 1907 Vollard had in fact bought the entire contents of his studio, becoming the artist's exclusive dealer from 1917 until his own death in 1939.
At the time he painted Tzigane, Rouault was enjoying international success. In 1937 he exhibited extensively at the Petit Palais in the exhibition Les Maîtres de l'art indépendant, while Pierre Matisse organized a show of his painting in New York. The exhibition at the Petit Palais attracted the attention of the art critic Lionello Venturi, who later dedicated an enthusiastic monograph to the artist. In 1938, the year he painted Tzigane, Rouault was also invited to exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the first retrospective of his graphic work, a mark of his international standing.
Painted in 1938, Tzigane belongs to a series of male characters Georges Rouault painted toward the end of the 1930s. It portrays a man, absorbed in his thoughts, presented in a humble yet solemn pose. The way his body squarely occupies the space suggests strength, while the averted eyes and the serious facial expression convey earnestness and modesty. In its mood, the work expresses that Christian value of compassion that characterized much of Rouault's artistic production.
In its technique, Tzigane perfectly showcases Rouault's approach to painting, characterised by the use of brilliant colours, enclosed in thick black lines. This technique, reminiscent of glazed windows in its effect, is linked to the artist's early years of apprenticeship in the studio of the glazier Hirsch, an experience that would leave a strong mark on Rouault.
Tzigane first belonged to the influential art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who throughout his life had maintained with Rouault a lasting and consistent relationship. Upon meeting Rouault in 1907 Vollard had in fact bought the entire contents of his studio, becoming the artist's exclusive dealer from 1917 until his own death in 1939.
At the time he painted Tzigane, Rouault was enjoying international success. In 1937 he exhibited extensively at the Petit Palais in the exhibition Les Maîtres de l'art indépendant, while Pierre Matisse organized a show of his painting in New York. The exhibition at the Petit Palais attracted the attention of the art critic Lionello Venturi, who later dedicated an enthusiastic monograph to the artist. In 1938, the year he painted Tzigane, Rouault was also invited to exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the first retrospective of his graphic work, a mark of his international standing.