Lourdes, Imploring before the Grotto (fourth plate) 1912 - 1913

Jean-Louis Forain made this etching, *Lourdes, Imploring before the Grotto*, sometime around the turn of the century. Look at that frenetic, almost scribbled linework! It's like Forain is wrestling with the image, trying to capture something elusive. The textures here, built from these tiny etched lines, feel raw and immediate. The dense crosshatching creates a shadowy atmosphere, almost like a storm cloud hanging over the scene, or maybe it's the grotto itself, radiating something unseen. And then there's that child, lifted up almost as an offering. It's tender, but there's also something unsettling about it. Think about Goya's etchings – there's a similar kind of darkness and social commentary lurking beneath the surface. Art's like that, always echoing, always in conversation. It's never just one thing.