The Road to Rocquencourt 1909

Jean-Louis Forain’s ‘The Road to Rocquencourt’ is an etching, a coming together of thin lines that almost feel like a spider's web. You can see the artist feeling his way through the scene, each mark a step forward into the image. I can imagine Forain walking that same road, squinting at the light, trying to capture how the road stretches out and disappears into the distance. The lines create an overall sense of a rural landscape—it’s not just about what you see, but what you feel as you walk along that road. The cross-hatching that makes up the foliage on the left, and the long strokes that make up the road feel loose and expressive, and make me think of other artists like Manet or Degas, who were also capturing these fleeting moments of modern life. It is like they are all in conversation, bouncing ideas and gestures off each other. It’s as if Forain is inviting us to wander with him. It's a moment, preserved in ink, open to interpretation, and alive with the possibilities of seeing.