Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Twilight

1937
Not on view
Deeply spiritual, Rouault mined his Christian faith for artistic inspiration. French poet and critic André Suarès encouraged him, writing, "never smother the mystical song that rests deep inside you." Meditating on Christian scenes, Rouault used jewel-like colors, flattened figures, and heavy black outlines in a manner suggestive of stained glass. Twilight is one of many biblical landscapes the artist completed between 1929 and 1939. Although the painting’s title does not reference a specific story, the central figures who encounter blocked doorways under a darkening sky may be Joseph and Mary seeking shelter in Bethlehem, for Mary to give birth to the infant Christ.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Twilight
  • Artist: Georges Rouault (French, Paris 1871–1958 Paris)
  • Date: 1937
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 26 × 39 1/8 in. (66 × 99.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Nate B. Spingold, 1956
  • Object Number: 56.230.2
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Mythical Landscape (Paysage légendaire), Georges Rouault French, Oil on canvas
Mythical Landscape (Paysage légendaire)
Georges Rouault
1936
Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome, Henri-Joseph Harpignies French, Pen and black ink, brush, gray and blue-gray washes
Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome
Henri-Joseph Harpignies
1856
Portrait of Gerard de Lairesse, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Oil on canvas
Portrait of Gerard de Lairesse
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1665–67
Madame Paul Flat, Georges Rouault French, Black chalk and black pastel, touches of red chalk, pink and yellow pastel
Madame Paul Flat
Georges Rouault
1897
Glass Horn, Glass, French
Glass Horn
French
19th century

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.