Dead German Soldier c. 1914 - 1919

Jean-Louis Forain made this pen, ink, and watercolor drawing of a dead soldier. It has these swift, deft marks that dance across the page. Look at how the quick strokes give shape to the standing figures, and how the watercolour bleeds out to give us a sense of the space. I imagine Forain, maybe standing right there, sketching, not sure of anything except the urgency to record the scene. What a thing to witness! How do you even begin to make sense of it? I see him working fast, trying to keep up with his own feelings. The starkness of the soldier’s body contrasts with the tentative lines of his comrades. I wonder if Forain feels as haunted by the image as I do. There’s a dialogue that happens when we look at art; Forain is talking to us now, across time, about war, about being human. Art helps us feel, think, and connect.