Christ Mocked by Soldiers by Georges Rouault

Lesson:

• Georges Rouault was born on May 27, 1971 in the cellar of a house in Paris during the bombardment of the city. 

• At age of 14 he apprenticed to a stained-glassmaker and at the age of 19 he began working for georges Hirsch, a restorer of old stained glass.  Rouault also began evening classes at an art school.  (Ecole des Arts Decoratifs)

  1. Looking at the pictures painted by Rouault, what influence did his early training have on his paintings.  (They look like stained-glass windows)

• Gustave Moreau takes over the art studeio when Rouault is 21.  Mourea becomes the teacher of Rouault and Matisse.  He competes for several awards, but is unsuccesful.  Many say his works are too dark and grotesque.  He finally receives an award for a series of sacred paintings set in fantastic landscapes. 

• In 1898 Moreau dies.  Rouault loses a friend and a mentor.  Rouault becomes the curator of the Gustave Moreau Museum.  He exhibits several paintings and is awarded the bronze medal at the Paris World's Fair in the year 1900. 

• In 1904, Rouault meets the Catholic writer Leon Bloy and they become close friends. 

  1. Do you think Bloy had any influence on Rouault's work?

  2. What is the main color in the painting?  (black)

  3. What other colors stand out?  (red and greed)

• There is a great contrast in his paintings with the light colors and black. 

  1. Why?  (The black makes the colors stand out more.  The picture becomes more intense.  The meaning behind the painting also becomes more intense.)

• Rouault painted his emotions.  He painted judges, clowns and circus people, as well as religious pictures.

  1. How did Rouault depict clowns so that it was like watching the circus in darkness with flickering lights and shadows?  (His dark and light contrasts)

• The people look harsh, yet human.  He combines the satirical and humane themes in his works.  In the early 1900's France had a very distinct "class" system.  There were the very rich and the very poor.  Rouault was making fun of the wealthy people who looked down on the poor working people. 

  1. What did Rouault do to make these people look strange?  (dark outlines, big noses, and big chines)

• Child Jesus amoung the Doctors was purchased in 1917 by France to hang in a museum.  By 1937, Rounault has 42 canvases in the Paris World's Fair.  After World War II 1948-1952, Rouault's paintings became lighter and more colorful. 

  1. Can you try to explain why?  (The occupation of Francy by Germany was over.  There was freedom and people were more equal.  ) 

• Rouault then became well known in the United States.  He died in 1958 in Paris and was given a state funeral. 

 

Activity:

options

1. Using scraps of colored and black construction paper, the students will tear pieces of paper to create a stained-glass window of Jesus or any other religious subject.  They will glue bits of the paper to the construction paper. 

2. Using colored strips of plastic report corners to cut out designs and enclose in a portion of a clear report cover.  Then use black marker to define areas between colors like a stained glass window. 

3. Snack Idea(if teacher permits):  Bring in a couple large rectangle(baking sheet) sugar cookies, with chocolate or black gell for window panes and have children mix colors with icing to color the inside of the window panes.  Or make stained glass cookies with below recipe. 

Ingredients:
basic ice box cookie dough, chilled
Life Savers candies
plastic sandwich bags (one for each color)
 

Directions:

Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll into strips about 1/4" thick. Use to make outlines on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Pinch ends together well. Start with simple shapes and then try more complex ones.

Sort the Lifesavers into plastic bags by color. Crush them with a rolling pin. Use to fill openings in the cookies. Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely, then peel off foil.