Discharged from Military Service II c. 1914 - 1919

Jean-Louis Forain sketched this somber scene of a soldier's return with ink on paper. Note the discarded uniform, a potent symbol of transformation. In antiquity, taking off armor signified the end of war, mirroring the symbolism of baptism through the removal of old garments. The returning soldier seems suspended between identities, holding civilian clothes, yet still marked by war. We see similar visual motifs in works like Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son," where the act of returning home is fraught with emotional complexity. The uniform, reminiscent of battle gear and violence, contrasts with the new clothes and the promise of peace. Just as ancient rituals marked transitions from one stage of life to another, here, changing clothes signifies leaving the battlefield and entering a new phase of existence. This cycle of destruction and regeneration, despair and hope, resonates across the ages.