Georges Rouault, born in a slum in France,
is considered the greatest religious painter of the 20th century. Rouault, who
originally wanted to become a priest, walked the path of spiritual practice and
asceticism through painting. He did not follow the popular painting styles of
his time and mainly depicted marginalized people, such as the homeless. Georges
Rouault’s paintings are dark yet warm, blurry yet intense and clear. Above all,
they are infinitely deep. When you look at Rouault’s paintings, you become
curious about the world beyond the picture. The colors in his paintings, often
praised as those of an alchemist, do not seem like the colors of this world.
Through the words of Rouault himself, who created paintings with colors that
didn’t seem of this world, we can glimpse his spiritual world. "I don't
believe in what I can touch with my hands or see with my eyes. What I believe
in is the invisible, that is, the feeling." Looking at Georges Rouault’s
paintings, which portray a world that can only be glimpsed through feeling,
what I wanted to depict was the black line. This painting, centered around the
thick black line that seems to be the only thing connecting the world in
Rouault's paintings, appears somewhat chaotic. As I cannot understand Rouault's
inner world, I etched Georges Rouault into my heart by painting the lines in
his works that most closely resemble the world.