Pierre Soulages (born 1919), a French painter, was one of the major abstractionists of the School of Paris. His work was characterized by broad strokes of paint that created a tonality of light and dark and by a subdued palette.

Pierre Soulages was born on December 24, 1919, in Rodez, a region where prehistoric and Romanesque artifacts abound. This art had a profound influence on his work. When he was quite young, he began to draw and paint.

After graduating from high school in 1938, Soulages went to Paris. He enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts to study painting but quickly became dissatisfied with the type of work that was encouraged at the school. After seeing exhibitions of works by Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso, he decided to leave school and return to Rodez.

Soulages served in the French army (1939-1940) and then worked as a farmer in Montpellier...