a) L'amour à Paris (Love in Paris) (recto); b) Untitled (verso)
1893
graphite
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1893
graphite
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
a) L'amour à Paris (Love in Paris) (recto); b) Untitled (verso) is a 1893 graphite by Jean-Louis Forain, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a dimly lit room with three people. A woman in a long dress stands near a window, her back to us. A man with a beard sits at a table, holding a small object. On the floor, another figure kneels, wearing a dark coat and a hat. The walls are bare, and light streams in through the window, casting shadows. The woman’s pose and the loose, sketchy lines suggest movement and life. The artist used quick, rough strokes to capture the scene, focusing on mood over detail. Next, look up lithography to see how this sketch might have been made.
