Le demobilise c. 1914 - 1919

Jean-Louis Forain made this drawing, "Le demobilise," with charcoal or something similar on paper, and I love the immediacy of it. You can almost smell the charcoal dust! The image seems to appear right before your eyes. The artist has drawn a soldier returning home and his wife greeting him. I can imagine Forain sketching quickly, trying to catch a fleeting moment. The lines are scratchy and a little awkward, but that's what makes it so charming and alive. Look at the way he’s drawn the pile of discarded clothes – it's like a crumpled heap of the war itself. I wonder if Forain ever felt like this soldier, returning from the battlefield of the art world? Maybe he was thinking about the challenges of coming home, the way things change, and the struggle to find your place again. I can definitely relate. It makes me think about how all artists are in this ongoing conversation, inspiring each other to create and express themselves. Painting is an imperfect medium, full of uncertainty, but it allows for multiple readings.