Pietà 1910

Jean-Louis Forain made this 'Pietà' with sketchy lines and a muted palette. It feels like he was trying to capture a raw, unfiltered emotion through the art-making process itself. The texture, if you can call it that, is all in the suggestive strokes. The lines are thin, almost transparent, layering to create depth and shadow. Look at the face of the figure supporting Christ, see how those scribbled lines convey such grief? It's not about perfect realism, but the raw physicality of emotion made visible. It’s in that tension where the piece really comes alive. This work reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz's prints, both artists use a similar economy of line to evoke a sense of sorrow and empathy. Forain isn’t trying to give us a definitive statement, but instead invites us into a space of shared feeling and contemplation.