Georges Rouault

Scène de cirque

1938

Executed in 1937, Carlotta belongs to a group of portraits of members of society. Unlike Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec, who portrayed these individuals with pathos, Rouault’s approach was unapologetic and raw. In the present work several layers of pigment can be discerned; the build-up of translucent and opaque layers of paint creates a three-dimensionality that characterizes the artist’s strongest work. Furthermore, the work is highlighted by the deep swaths of black delineating the subject, representing a signature element of Rouault’s portraiture of this period.