Artwork
a) Bolo pacha (recto); Study for Bolo pacha (verso)
a) Bolo pacha (recto); Study for Bolo pacha (verso) is an ink drawing by Jean-Louis Forain. It dates from 1916 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:"forain" lower right composition, black ink, artist's hand. Not dated. "Bolo pacha." lower center margin, graphite, artist's hand. "A la Sante. Bolo:- "Laissez moi au moins mes bottines...Elle sont a boutons-"" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "A reduire sur 4 colonnes" lower right margin, black crayon, artist's hand. "A 2340" lower right margin, graphite, unknown hand. Verso: none.
- Markings
- Marked:"LRJ" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1760b). "National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1932d).
About this work
Overview
Bolo pacha (recto); Study for Bolo pacha (verso) is a dual-sided drawing by Jean-Louis Forain, created circa 1916. The work features two distinct renderings of a scene on either side of a wove paper sheet.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a dimly lit interior with two male figures: one crouched on the floor in a forward-leaning pose, and another standing, clad in a hat and long coat, holding a bag. The subject's identity and context are specified by the title 'Bolo pacha', though the figures' actions and relationship remain interpretively open.
Technique & Style
Forain executed the recto with brush and black ink, supplemented by black crayon, and later corrections in white opaque watercolor. The verso, a study for the same subject, is rendered solely in black crayon. The lines throughout are characterized by looseness and quickness, suggestive of rapid sketching.
History & Provenance
Created around 1916, this work is part of Forain's oeuvre, which, despite his greater contemporary acclaim compared to some Impressionist peers, is now less widely recognized in comparison.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Louis Forain (French pronunciation:; 23 October 1852 – 11 July 1931) was a French Impressionist painter and printmaker, working in media including oils, watercolour, pastel, etching and lithograph.
a) Au congres de la Paix (recto); b) Untitled (verso)
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