At the Gambling Table (first plate) 1909

Jean-Louis Forain made this print, At the Gambling Table, and I just wanna say, been there! The scratches of line create the tension of the scene, a room packed with gamblers in various states of winning and losing. It looks like the guy in the foreground is losing, and he’s pissed! I can feel the weight of his concentration, hunched over his chips. And then, behind him to the left is the woman laughing and enjoying her winnings. The contrast is so sad and great. I imagine Forain in a hurry, maybe sketching this scene in a bar while trying not to be noticed. Look at the shorthand marks for the background figures, and how their faces seem to emerge from the darkness. He's really captured the psychological weight of the situation. Artists are always looking at each other, stealing ideas, riffing and playing. You can see Daumier in Forain’s work, that interest in modern life and the kind of quick, biting satire. And then later, you can see it in a painter like Toulouse Lautrec! They're all in conversation, across time.