ROUAULT (Georges) Autograph letter signed to André Suarez. 4 p. in-12 (18 x 13.9 cm). Interesting autograph letter to André Suarès about his works, which he is struggling to deliver on time, accompanied by a superb drawing of Christ. Rouault, recovering from illness, finds himself overwhelmed by his various works, finding it difficult to juggle book illustration commissions and his paintings. "After this painful accident, you must understand, I am so far behind with everything I was able to do before. What's more, I'm more and more worried about resuming the paintings for A.V. [Ambroise Vollard], which have been put off indefinitely for 9 years because of the books. During this period, he took on a series of illustration projects commissioned by Vollard: Réincarnations du père Ubu in 1932, Cirque de l'étoile filante in 1938, Les Fleurs du Mal in 1938 and Passion in 1939, with texts by Suarès. "So I have just come to an arrangement with A.V. himself, who was worried about the outgoings he had made for so long. Reluctantly I had to make a date. I must not forget that he waited 8 months after me and that nothing good was done during my illness. I intend to put you before 'Les Fleurs du Mal'. [...] That will make 130 to 150 things that need to be ready by February-March. Caught between his own demands and the orders from the merchant-publisher, the painter found the situation increasingly difficult and sought support from his friend. "Pity me as I pity you - in another sense, as you well know - and never doubt it, and if you want to give me a proof of affection, appeal to my goodwill if you need me in any way, but this dreadful weather is devouring me as this dreadful fire did a year ago". The relationship between Rouault and Vollard deteriorates from 1934 onwards, Rouault can no longer stand the pressure from the merchant-publisher who no longer tolerates the artist's delays. The letter ends with a drawing of the face of Christ, signed with the initials and dated. A recurring motif in Rouault's work, Christianity is at the centre of Passion. The drawing is accompanied by an amusing comment by the artist. "I made a horrible mess of the finished letter in the middle of this page, so I tried to get away with it as best I could.