Lourdes, the Paralytic 1912 - 1913

Jean-Louis Forain made this etching, Lourdes, the Paralytic, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. Look how Forain builds the image with these nervous, searching lines. You can feel him feeling his way into the subject. There's a kind of urgency here. See how the figures emerge from a haze of etched lines? It's like a memory, or a half-formed thought. The texture is so delicate, almost ephemeral. Focus on the face of the woman in the center; Forain captures a sense of grief with just a few strokes. The way he uses line to suggest form, rather than define it, opens up so much space for emotion. Forain's work shares a mood with that of artists like Kathe Kollwitz. Both are driven by a deep empathy for the human condition. Ultimately, Forain’s image reminds us that art isn’t about answers, but about embracing the questions.