Artwork
Les notables
Les notables is a gouache 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, graphite, artist's hand. Not dated. "Les notables" lower center margin, graphite, artist's hand. "A 2382" 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
It exemplifies Forain’s late‑period focus on contemporary social commentary through drawing rather than his more widely known oil and pastel works.
Created circa 1916, Les notables is a drawing by French artist Jean‑Louis Forain. Executed on wove paper with black crayon that has been refined and accented with white gouache, the work presents a formal gathering of figures rendered in a restrained monochrome palette. It exemplifies Forain’s late‑period focus on contemporary social commentary through drawing rather than his more widely known oil and pastel works.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a group of individuals positioned in a room, either seated or standing, in a manner that suggests a public or civic assembly. By portraying these figures with a sober, almost documentary tone, Forain underscores the solemnity and, implicitly, the performative nature of social status and authority in early‑twentieth‑century France.
Technique & Style
Forain combines a disciplined black crayon line with selective white gouache highlights, allowing him to model volume and suggest light without abandoning the drawing’s overall flatness. The use of wove paper provides a smooth surface that supports fine detail, while the corrective crayon work reveals a process of revision characteristic of his satirical sketches.
History & Provenance
During his lifetime, Forain achieved a level of commercial success that surpassed many of his Impressionist contemporaries, largely through works that captured the urban milieu. Les notables belongs to a series in which he turned his attention to the portrayal of public figures, reflecting the artist’s ongoing engagement with the political and social climate of the World War I era.
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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.
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Untitled