German Soldiers and French Child c. 1914 - 1919

Jean-Louis Forain made this drawing of German soldiers and a French child with what looks like charcoal or graphite—something dry, smudgy. You can see the artist feeling around for the image, the lines tentative, searching. It makes me think about what it was like to be Forain, looking, watching, trying to fix these figures on the page. The child stands alone, facing away from us, a small, fragile presence. The soldiers loom, their forms bulky and imposing, their faces hidden. What was Forain trying to capture here? The contrast between innocence and brute force? The vulnerability of the defeated? There's a rawness to the drawing that's really compelling. It feels like a quick sketch, something dashed off in the heat of the moment. But it's also a carefully considered composition, the figures arranged just so to create a sense of unease and tension. It's a powerful image, made all the more so by its simplicity and directness. It feels like a conversation between him and Goya.