Ceux de la priemiere heure. ‘Sire! ou en somme-nous de ‘la guerre fraiche et joyeuse’…’ III c. 1914 - 1919

Jean-Louis Forain made this stark image with what looks like graphite on paper. It is all about mark-making, the hurried, sketchy lines give an unsettling sense of immediacy. Looking closely, the dense cross-hatching that models the fallen soldier on the left contrasts sharply with the almost skeletal figure on the right. Notice how the heavy marks describing the fallen soldier, how they almost drag across the page, yet still define the form beneath. It's like Forain is using the very act of drawing to convey the weight and finality of death. The way he builds up these dark tones, it's like he's physically enacting the burden of war. This kind of raw expressiveness reminds me of Kathe Kollwitz, another artist who wasn't afraid to confront difficult subjects head-on. Both artists used their work to speak truth to power, to challenge the status quo, and to remind us of our shared humanity. Neither offers easy answers, but instead invites us to grapple with uncomfortable truths.