Georges Rouault is a painter, a draftsman and a remarkable engraver who adopted a new original mode of expression in the drawing and the colours whose ardour and lyricism make him the first of expressionists. Son of a cabinetmaker, he was introduced to painting by his grandfather who was a lover of Courbet, Manet and Daumier. His meditation and search for greatness is illustrated by his engravings, which reach the most refined intensity, while his painting combines a rich material and sumptuous colours, surrounded by black, with a rigorous simplicity in figures and landscapes.