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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: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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Eaux-Fortes de Georges Roualt pour les Réincarnations du Père Ubu
Georges Rouault
Ambroise Vollard
n.d.
Head, Georges Rouault French, Brush and black ink, opaque watercolor and pastel on paper
Head
Georges Rouault
1930
Christ and the Apostles, Georges Rouault French, Oil on canvas
Christ and the Apostles
Georges Rouault
1937–38
The Manager and a Circus Girl, Georges Rouault French, Oil on canvas
The Manager and a Circus Girl
Georges Rouault
1932–41
Mythical Landscape (Paysage légendaire), Georges Rouault French, Oil on canvas
Mythical Landscape (Paysage légendaire)
Georges Rouault
1936

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