Artwork
Le Christ aux outrages (The Mocking of Christ)
Le Christ aux outrages (The Mocking of Christ) is an ink print by Jean-Louis Forain. It dates from 1909 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:"forain" lower right margin, graphite, artist's hand. Not dated. "G 80 III" lower left 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
Le Christ aux outrages (The Mocking of Christ) is a 1909 drypoint print on laid paper by Jean-Louis Forain, a French artist known for working in multiple mediums. The piece depicts a religious scene of Christ being mocked.
Subject & Meaning
The print illustrates the biblical scene of Christ’s mockery, showing Jesus surrounded by a group of people ridiculing him. This subject reflects Forain's exploration of religious themes.
Technique & Style
Executed in drypoint, the work features designs scratched directly into a plate. Notably, Forain employed a stylistically anachronistic approach, adopting an antiquated aesthetic in a piece from the early 20th century.
History & Provenance
Created in 1909, the print's provenance and exhibition history are not detailed here, though it is characteristic of Forain's later work in a career marked by commercial success uncommon among his Impressionist contemporaries.
Context
While Forain is often associated with Impressionism, this work's style deviates from the typical expectations of early 20th-century art, highlighting the artist's eclectic approach across mediums like oils, watercolor, and printmaking.
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 repas à Emmaus (3e planche) (The Supper at Emmaus) (third plate)
Le Christ portant sa croix (7e planche) (Christ Carrying the Cross) (seventh plate)
Le Christ dépouillé de ses vêtements (Christ Stripped of His Clothes)
La fraction du pain (The Breaking of the Bread)
Le Christ portant sa croix (4e planche) (Christ Carrying the Cross) (fourth plate)
Kreuzigung, nach dem Altarbild in Tölz (Crucifixion, after the Altarpiece at Tölz)
Christ Crucified Between the Two Thieves: 'The Three Crosses'
Le Christ portant sa croix (5e planche) (Christ Carrying the Cross) (fifth plate)
Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves (The Three Crosses)
C'est moi, Jean, qui ai vu et qui ai oie ces choses (And I John saw these things and heard them