Focusing on the French painter, Georges Rouault (1871-1958), this is one of a series of illustrated monographs which offer introductions to modern art and artists. Each book presents a profile of the artist and analysis of his distinctive style. Rouault was one of the most individual artists of the 20th century. Although trained in the French fine-arts academy, throughout his long career he never painted like anyone else. A deeply religious man, he saw his work as a means of exploring spiritual and human truths, and his raw, searing pictures of prostitutes, clowns, judges, criminals and the working poor shocked the critics of his time. But, like his paintings on Christian themes, they also convey an uplifting message of hope and redemption through suffering.