Sur le Front. -C'est sa theorie? -Non, c'est son breviaire.

Forain employs a limited palette, drawing the figures and trench with dense black crayon and ink washes. Brushwork creates atmospheric depth, and later white watercolor touches serve as corrective highlights, emphasizing the soldiers’ outlines and the book’s pages. The overall effect is graphic and restrained, echoing the artist’s printmaking background.

The work belongs to Forain’s wartime output, a period when he turned his attention to contemporary events. Produced during the latter years of World War I, it reflects his engagement with the conflict’s human dimension. Its subsequent ownership history is not detailed in the source material.

Forain, often associated with the Impressionist and Post‑Impressionist circles, expanded his practice to include socially relevant subjects during the 1910s. This drawing aligns with a broader trend among artists of the era who documented the front lines, offering personal, observational perspectives rather than grandiose battle scenes.