Mythical Landscape (Paysage légendaire)

• Georges Rouault (1871–1958)
• 1936
• Oil on canvas
• Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
• (1975.1.203)

Georges Rouault’s distinctive style reflects his devout Catholic faith, his training under the Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau, and his origins in the Parisian working class. This painting depicts a Paris street gradually transformed by the colors of the setting sun. The red-roofed buildings and road are outlined in thick black lines. In the foreground, four figures dressed in long white robes evoke an otherworldly presence, as if transported from another era.