The Dwarf

Although Georges Rouault is perhaps best known for his religious imagery, he also painted characters living on the fringes of society. Drawing on the work of such artists as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Edgar Degas, Rouault often depicted circus performers; their tragic-comic essence allowed him to sympathetically comment on the complexities of the human condition. The Dwarf, along with many of Rouault’s other paintings from this period, began as a work on paper that the artist mounted onto canvas during its making and continued to work. This unusual process, in addition to the application of several uneven layers of thick and colorful paint, allowed Rouault to achieve highly expressive effects.