The National Holiday 1918

"The National Holiday" (1918) is a charcoal drawing by the French artist Jean-Louis Forain (1852–1931) depicting a solitary figure sitting atop a pile of rocks. The figure's posture and the sparse, gestural lines of the composition create a sense of isolation and melancholy. Forain, known for his satirical drawings of social and political life in France, often utilized simple forms and dramatic contrasts of light and dark to convey his messages. The starkness of the composition and the figure's isolated position hint at the somber mood of the work, likely a reflection of the context of World War I, which raged on in Europe during the time of the artwork's creation.