My favourite painting Sir James MacMillan

Le Christ en banlieue (Christ in the suburbs)

- by Georges Rouault

Georges Rouault's paintings are dark, textured, emotive and expressive, a far cry from those of his friend Henri Matisse and the Parisian Fauves. Clowns stand downhearted in dirty ruffs; dancers seem on the point of tears, flowers wilting at their temples. Rouault painted figures and landscapes, but most often he turned to the Bible, painting Christ and his apostles or the Crucifixion in bold black outlines. His style may have developed from his first job, when he was apprenticed to a glazier aged 14. He worked on stained-glass windows and the way he rims every element of his later compositions in heavy lines may stem from this training.