Georges Rouault: Miserere et Guerre

The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (3700 West Pine Mall; mocra.slu.edu) possesses one of the few complete sets of Georges Rouault's etchings suite, Miserere et Guerre. Every decade or so the museum puts all 58 works on display, both to showcase Rouault's masterpiece and to remind us of the horrors of war. Rouault made these pieces between 1914 and 1927, drawing inspiration from the devastation of World War I and its lingering aftermath in his native France. They primarily depict human beings wracked by suffering and stalked by death, but there are also small instances of mercy to be found in them. His etching Wars, detested by mothers, shows a mother and child embracing in the encroaching darkness, their bodies haloed in the light of their love for each other. Miserere et Guerre is on display 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through May 8. Admission is free.