Toward Peace c. 1914 - 1919

Jean-Louis Forain made this sketch, Towards Peace, using what looks like graphite or charcoal, maybe even a lithographic crayon. You can see the hand of the artist so clearly, the process is right there on the surface. There’s something so raw about the marks, aren't there? The lines are searching, tentative but confident, all at the same time. I’m really drawn to the figure on the left, she seems like an allegorical figure, maybe Peace herself? Her form is built up of these decisive, vertical strokes which adds to the solemn quality, like a monument or caryatid. The heaviness of the dark graphite lines against the paper are so effective. This reminds me a little of Kathe Kollwitz’s lithographs, there is a similar weightiness and sensitivity in the mark making. Both Forain and Kollwitz are great examples of how an artist can use simple materials to express profound emotion.