The Road to Rocquencourt 1909

Jean-Louis Forain made 'The Road to Rocquencourt' with etching, a technique that lets you build up a picture slowly through the pressure of line. Look at the diagonal hatching that sculpts the road. It's almost like a woven fabric, where the image emerges from the building up of many marks. The whole scene feels fleeting, like a memory just out of reach. Forain's economy of line brings so much energy to the image, creating a feeling of movement and light. And that figure walking along the road—are they coming or going? The figure is shrouded in mystery. The overall effect reminds me of some of Daumier's quick sketches. Both artists knew how to capture a feeling with just a few lines, suggesting that in art, what you leave out can be as important as what you put in. It's not about perfection; it's about catching a glimpse of something real.