Artwork
En cabinet particulier (1ère planche) (In a Private Room) (first plate)
En cabinet particulier (1ère planche) (In a Private Room) (first plate) is an ink print by Jean-Louis Forain. It dates from 1909 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
En cabinet particulier (1ère planche) is a 1909 etching by Jean-Louis Forain on laid Van Gelder paper, depicting a scene of three figures in a dimly lit private room.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures a moment of intimate, possibly troubled, interaction among three individuals: a standing woman with disheveled hair leaning over a hunched, seated man, and a partially obscured figure reclining in the background, shrouded in shadow.
Technique & Style
Forain employed loose, scratchy etching lines, characteristic of his style, and utilized a technique allowing ink to accumulate in layers, resulting in dark, fuzzy edges, particularly evident in the rendering of hair and clothing, conveying a sense of deliberate immediacy.
History & Provenance
Created in 1909, the work reflects Forain's versatility in printmaking, though his overall reputation has waned compared to some contemporaries despite his success during his lifetime.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Louis Forain (French pronunciation: ; 23 October 1852 – 11 July 1931) was a French Impressionist painter and printmaker, working in media including oils, watercolour, pastel, etching and lithograph.
En cabinet particulier (1ère planche) (In a Private Room) (first plate)
En cabinet particulier (3e planche) (In a Private Room) (third plate)
Scène de cabinet particulier (planche en hauteur) (Scene in a Private Room) (vertical plate)
Le repos du modèle (1ère planche) (The Model's Rest) (first plate)
Scène de cabinet particulier (planche en largeur) (Scene in a Private Room) (horizontal plate)
Le cabinet particulier (1ère planche) (The Private Room) (first plate)
Scène de cabinet particulier (planche en largeur au lavis) (Scene in a Private Room) (horizontal plate with wash)
Le cabinet particulier (4e planche) (The Private Room) (fourth plate)
L'avocat parlant au prévenu (1ère planche) (The Lawyer Talking to the Prisoner) (first plate)
A la table de jeu (1ère planche) (At the Gambling Table) (first plate)
A la table de jeu (1ère planche) (At the Gambling Table) (first plate)