Calvary (first plate) 1902

Jean-Louis Forain made this etching of the Calvary – the crucifixion of Christ – at some point in his lifetime. Look at the scene, so stark, it’s a very light sketch of the most important moment in Christian history. I can imagine Forain picking up his etching needle and starting to scratch at the plate, letting the drawing emerge from the ground like this vision. You can see the ladder that was used to bring Christ down from the cross and the group of figures mourning. There is so much empty space around them, emphasizing their sense of isolation. The lines he uses are so thin, it feels as if they might disappear at any moment. Just like the memory of that moment. Forain was known for his prints and his drawings, and he was part of the circle of artists around Degas, and you can see something of that graphic sensibility, that kind of intimate mark making. It’s as if he’s saying, “I’m not going to give you the whole story, I’m just going to give you a glimpse, a fragment, just enough to set your imagination going.”