Artwork
Les instructions pour la journée (The Instructions for the Day)
Les instructions pour la journée (The Instructions for the Day) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Jean-Louis Forain. It dates from 1897 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created circa 1897, *Les instructions pour la journée* is a color transfer lithograph executed on laid Arches paper.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1897, *Les instructions pour la journée* is a color transfer lithograph executed on laid Arches paper. The work belongs to the printmaking phase of Jean‑Louis Forain, a French artist associated with the later Impressionist generation. Its modest dimensions and muted palette convey a quiet interior scene, typical of Forain’s interest in everyday Parisian moments.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents two women inside a dimly lit room. One sits, head bowed, wearing a dark hat; the other stands behind her, draped in a loose robe and leaning forward. A faint window and a small table bearing a book or paper complete the setting, suggesting a private, perhaps instructional, exchange between the figures.
Technique & Style
Forain employed the color transfer lithographic process, allowing him to layer soft, subdued hues over a sketchy line drawing. The quick, gestural strokes emphasize movement and atmosphere rather than fine detail, while the laid paper surface adds a subtle texture that reinforces the work’s intimate tone.
History & Provenance
During his lifetime, Forain earned more commercial success than many of his Impressionist contemporaries, largely through his prolific graphic output. This print, produced in the late 1890s, reflects the period when his lithographs were widely circulated in Parisian publications and salons.
Context
The image aligns with Forain’s broader engagement with contemporary urban life and satirical observation. While primarily known for caricature and social commentary, his prints often captured ordinary domestic scenes, offering a quieter counterpoint to his more overtly humorous works.
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.
Interieur mit Stehlampe (Interior with Floor Lamp)
Femme mettant son bas (Woman Putting On Her Stockings)
The Sick Mother (La mère malade)
Brandes and Le Bargy in "Cabotins" (Brandès et Les Bargy dans "Cabotins")
Etude de femme assise (Study of a Seated Woman)
Study of a Seated Woman
Le petit déjeuner (planche en largeur) (Breakfast) (horizontal plate)
Le Traite des blanches (The White Slave Trade)
a) L'amour à Paris (Love in Paris) (recto); b) Untitled (verso)
Untitled
Your Mouth (Ta bouche)
Les instructions pour la journée (The Instructions for the Day)