Calvary (first plate) 1902

Jean-Louis Forain made this etching, Calvary, sometime between 1852 and 1931, using a network of pale, incredibly delicate lines. It’s like he’s feeling his way through the scene, not just depicting it. Look how he scratches at the sky – it's almost shivering with grief. The figures huddle together, barely there, just suggestions of form. But that's what gives them their power, right? They are not meant to be concrete, just a feeling, a shared sense of loss and bewilderment. I think about Goya’s etchings when I look at this. He, too, knew how to make a line carry the weight of the world. But there's also something very modern in Forain’s approach. It feels like he’s not trying to tell us what to think, just inviting us to witness, to feel. Art doesn’t have to be an answer, sometimes it’s enough to just ask the question.