The Supper at Emmaus (third plate) 1910

Jean-Louis Forain made this etching, "The Supper at Emmaus," sometime between 1852 and 1931, using a network of fine, deliberate lines. It's like he's feeling his way through the darkness, mapping out the scene with touch rather than sight. The texture is crucial here. The way Forain has layered those lines, scratching them into the plate, it's almost like you can feel the scratch of the needle yourself. Look at the background, that mass of tangled lines, it's like a veil, obscuring and revealing at the same time. There's a real tension between the light and the dark, the visible and the hidden. It reminds me of some of Rembrandt’s looser, more experimental etchings. What Forain is doing here isn't just illustration; it's about wrestling with the very act of seeing, inviting us to question what it means to witness a moment of revelation. It’s not about certainty, but about the beautiful, messy process of trying to find meaning in the shadows.