The Early Years 1871-1902
At the school, Rouault makes an impression by winning the “prix Chenavard” in 1894.  He is 23 years old.  During his second attempt for the “Prix de Rome”, in 1895, Rouault is sensed to be the winner.  However Léon Bonnat, a member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts, imposes his veto.  After this failure, Moreau advises his student to leave the school and paint independently.

Outside of the school, Rouault paints what he sees. His works reveal a vision of tragic reality. He liberates himself from the subjects imposed by the academic competitions and looks for his own inspiration, although he will remain the spiritual successor of Gustave Moreau. Moreau supports him in his new path and continues to provide advice and literary knowledge and encourage his spirituality.

Rouault and Religion
Baptised at 1 month old, Rouault nevertheless receives a secular education. It is only at 24 years old that he shows a desire to follow the Christian faith by taking his first communion. He becomes close to writers such as J. K. Huysmans and Leon Bloy who represent, with Charles Peguy, a literary context marked by a neo-Catholicism which fought against the superficiality and sterility of official church art. At the end of April 1901, Rouault joins a group of intellectuals at the Ligugé abbey. Huysmans planned to found a community of Catholic artists there. The group agreed to resist publicity and everything that flattered the vanities. During this stay, Rouault determines never to make any concessions to art and the public. The introduction of the Waldeck-Rousseau law against such associations led to the dissolution of the community. Rouault comes back to Paris and takes up his paintings again, or rather his enquiry, his research.

Imbibed in the spiritual climate of Gustave Moreau, Georges Rouault holds that art is not a copy of nature but the possibility to express oneself. All his life, he will follow the advice of his master: listen to your inner voice.

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