Chantez Matines, le jour renait
1923
Medium
aquatint and drypoint over heliogravure
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.1.170
Art Historical Context
Georges Rouault's *Chantez Matines, le jour renait*Sing Matins, the Day Reborn), created in 1923, a moment of spiritual renewal at dawn. This evocative print, part of a portfolio in the National Gallery of Art's Rosen Collection (Department CG-W), draws on the French artist's deep faith, blending religious devotion with the somber introspection of the post-World War I era. The evokes the liturgical hour of Matins, a call to prayer as day breaks, symbolizing hope amid hardship—a resonant theme in Rouault's oeuvre. Rouault, a key figure in early 20th-century Expressionism with roots in Fauvism,...
About the Artist
Georges Rouault
Georges-Henri Rouault was born on May 27, 1871, in a Paris cellar during the violent "Bloody Week" of the Paris Commune, when a stray shell destroyed his family's home in the working-class Belleville district. Raised by a carpenter father who worked at the Pleyel piano factory and a grandfather who collected prints by Honoré Daumier, Rembrandt, Courbet, and Manet, Rouault showed early artistic pro...