German Advance c. 1914 - 1919

Jean-Louis Forain made this drawing, called ‘German Advance’, with pencil and crayon on paper, and look at the scene he creates with just a few swift lines. It feels like we are watching him draw, and that it has emerged through trial, error, and intuition. I can imagine Forain sketching furiously, trying to capture not just the scene but the feeling of the soldiers' tension. What was he thinking as he shaded and scribbled, capturing this scene? The way he uses quick, jagged lines to depict the soldiers really conveys a sense of urgency and chaos. The surface of the paper becomes like a stage, and the marks have the feeling of a theatre set. I want to reach out and touch the paper and feel the texture of the lines. Forain's drawing reminds me of Goya’s war drawings - this is a conversation across time, with artists responding to the changing world. It’s as if Forain is saying, "I'm not going to give you a polished, finished picture, but a raw, immediate expression." And it is in this ambiguity that the drawing finds its power.