1909
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Le prévenu et l'enfant (The Prisoner and the Child) is a 1909 ink by Jean-Louis Forain, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a tense scene in what looks like a jail cell. A man sits slumped on a bench, his head in his hands. A woman stands beside him, holding a child who clutches her leg. In the background, two guards watch from behind a railing. The lines are loose and scratchy, giving the whole scene a rough, urgent feel. The artist used a technique called drypoint—scratching directly into the metal plate to create texture. That’s why the lines look so jagged and full of energy. Next, check out etching to see how artists like Forain built up layers of detail.
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.
See the richer artist page
