The artistic journey of Pierre Soulages (born in Rodez, in 1919) spanned some sixty years. The one who will often be called "painter of black", qualifies himself, much more correctly, "painter of light". He is the undisputed master of black painting, a radical abstraction in the service of matter and light. These thick black brushstrokes, called outrenoir on lighter backgrounds, have characterized his paintings and prints since the late 1940s.