Fetters c. 1919

Jean-Louis Forain created "Fetters" with what looks like charcoal, and I can imagine him really going at it, those lines are so expressive. You know, when I look at the figure on the right huddled on the couch, I sympathize. I’ve been there, wanting to disappear into the cushions. And the figure on the left… she’s so still, holding those chains. What’s she thinking? Is she about to shackle him, or is she reconsidering? The charcoal is thin in some parts, almost like a whisper, then thick and dark, like a shout. Those dark strokes around the figure on the couch, they’re like bars, trapping him. Forain’s got this way of using line that reminds me of Daumier—that raw, immediate feel. It’s like they’re both saying, “Here’s the world, messy and complicated, drawn with a sense of urgency.” It's like he's capturing a fleeting moment, a feeling, a question. Isn’t that what we all want to do, as artists?