Fifty years after this French artist's death, the Pinoacotheque's exhaustive exhibition pointedly departs from the usual approach to th Fauvist/ Expressionist's paintings. Instead of merely expounding upon Rouault's strict moral judgments, the curators situate his work in a social context, exploring the perspectives of Rouault's colleagues and teachers: Gustav Moreau, Henri Matisse, and writer Leon Bloy, to name a few. It was Bloy who wrote that Rouault was ‘dizzy with ugliness', admonishing the painter for choosing unworthy subjects and his rough style. But it is precisely these elements which imbue Rouault's works with haunting beauty. His melancholy subjects (clowns, prostitutes, unsuspecting bathers) are painted with the gracefulness of Matisse and the strong blacks of Japanese ukiyo-e. It is the latter element that attracted the interest of Japanese collector Sazo Idemitsu, who has loaned the more than 70 works included in this exhibition. MO