Artwork
Le calvaire (1ère planche) (Calvary) (first plate)
Le calvaire (1ère planche) (Calvary) (first plate) is an ink print by Jean-Louis Forain. It dates from 1902 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:"forain" lower right composition, in plate, artist's hand. "forain" lower right margin, black crayon, artist's hand. Not dated. "2me etat" lower left margin, lithographic crayon, artist's hand. "mk 29037 "k 7011" [stricken] verso, lower left sheet, graphite, unknown hand.
- Markings
- Marked:"LRJ" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1760b). "National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1932d).
About this work
Overview
Le calvaire (1ère planche) is an etching on laid Van Gelder paper created by Jean-Louis Forain in 1902. It is a print that showcases the artist's skill in capturing a scene with expressive lines.
Subject & Meaning
The etching depicts a group of people by water, with figures in long robes on the left and a man carrying a tall pole on the right, accompanied by a child and another person. The scene is suggestive, rather than explicitly narrative.
Technique & Style
Forain employed a range of line weights and densities to convey movement and mass, using loose and quick strokes to capture the figures and hinting at the water's surface with faint marks. The etching technique allowed for expressive variation in the image.
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.
- Le calvaire (1ère planche) (Calvary) (first plate)
Le calvaire (2e planche) (Calvary) (second plate)
Le calvaire (2e planche) (Calvary) (second plate)
Pietà (1ère planche) (Pietà) (first plate)
La route d'Emmaüs (1ère planche) (The Road to Emmaus) (first plate)
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Avant le repas à Emmaus (1ère planche) (Before the Supper at Emmaus) (first plate)