1925, Georges Rouault, L'Apprenti ouvrier (The Worker's Apprentice) -- Pompidou Center (Paris)
From the museum label: For one of his rare self-portraits, Rouault chose to depict himself in a white hat as a simple worker, serious and withdrawn.
A child of the suburbs, the painter, who started out as a glassmaker's apprentice, was forever proud of his popular origins. With this self-portrait as a humble. servant he seems to reject the status of a creative genius of the Renaissance. And yet, the composition suggests a sacred aspect to the craftsman: does not the semi-circular white cap evoke a halo? Does not the serious face against a blue enamelled background recall the majesty of icons? Here we are at the heart of Rouault's artistic project: the fusion of the sacred and the profane.
1925, Georges Rouault, L'Apprenti ouvrier (The Worker's Apprentice) -- Pompidou Center (Paris)
From the museum label: For one of his rare self-portraits, Rouault chose to depict himself in a white hat as a simple worker, serious and withdrawn.
A child of the suburbs, the painter, who started out as a glassmaker's apprentice, was forever proud of his popular origins. With this self-portrait as a humble. servant he seems to reject the status of a creative genius of the Renaissance. And yet, the composition suggests a sacred aspect to the craftsman: does not the semi-circular white cap evoke a halo? Does not the serious face against a blue enamelled background recall the majesty of icons? Here we are at the heart of Rouault's artistic project: the fusion of the sacred and the profane.