The Breton Wedding
1937
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 71.1 x 123 cm (28 x 48 7/16 in.) framed: 97.8 x 148.3 x 6.9 cm (38 1/2 x 58 3/8 x 2 11/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1985.64.37
Art Historical Context
Georges Rouault's *The Breton Wedding* (7), an oil on canvas measuring 71.1 x 123 cm, invites visitors into the vibrant yet introspective world of rural French tradition. Housed in the National Gallery Art's collection, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, this painting a ceremonial moment from Brittany—a rugged coastal region steeped in Celtic heritage and folk customs. Rouault, a French master of early 20th-century Expressionism with roots in Fauvism, often drew inspiration from everyday rituals, infusing them with spiritual depth. Rouault's signature style shines here through bold black o...
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...