Georges Rouault

Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Theodore Schempp, New York
Private Collection, St. Louis, Missouri (acquired from the above in 1950 and sold: Christie's, New York, November 15, 1990, lot 265)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

St. Louis, Missouri, City Art Museum of St. Louis, A Galaxy of Treasures from St. Louis Collections, 1961, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Pierrotins and dated 1940)

Bernard Dorival & Isabelle Rouault, Rouault, L'Oeuvre peint, vol. II, Monte-Carlo, 1988, no. 1792, illustrated p. 127

This work is in very good condition. The canvas has been relined. The impasto is lively and strong. The colors are very bright and fresh. There is minor paint shrinkage in the lower left . There are minor accretions in the upper left quadrant. There is a small cluster of pinhole dots to the canvas at the upper left which appear to be inherent to the work and do not detract from the work's appearance. There is some minor surface dirt to the work. There is a very minor paint loss at the extreme lower right corner. Under UV light: There is one possible small area of in-painting in the lower center. Please note that some original pigments in the composition do fluoresce.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

While eighteenth-century artists like Jean-Antoine Watteau conveyed Pierrot’s pining for Columbine’s love, and despair when she leaves him, by focusing on facial expressions, Rouault’s approach is emblematic of his apprenticeship as a medieval stained glass artisan and of his twentieth century artistic sentiment. In the present work, he articulates the figures and their surrounding with bold, black lines—reminiscent of the soldered cement conjoining glass panes—and in keeping with his works of this period, uses swaths of expressionistic brushstrokes and voluminous colors for the figures. Rouault shields Pierrot and the young companion’s countenances and utilizes single point perspective along a barren landscape to convey his characters’ uphill battle for love. By painting the frame itself with the same color schemata and decorative scheme that adorn the landscape, all of which contrast with the bright white of the figures, Rouault extends the figures’ journey beyond the confines of the frame. Pierre Courthion aptly writes, "When we examine a Rouault, what strikes us first? Above all, the way the paint has been applied: very thickly and with passion, with great sureness, and with spontaneity...the thickly applied pigment achieves a hitherto unknown degree of energy; every form seems to flow directly from the artist's hand into our own sensibility" (Pierre Courthion, Georges Rouault, New York, 1961, p. 234).