Artwork
Sur le lit (On the Bed)
Sur le lit (On the Bed) 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
Sur le lit (On the Bed) is an etching on laid Van Gelder paper created by French artist Jean-Louis Forain around 1909. The work is a print, characteristic of Forain's diverse output as a painter and printmaker.
Subject & Meaning
The etching depicts a person reclining on a bed, with tangled sheets and disheveled hair, set against a dark, abstract background. The scene is intimate and domestic, capturing a moment of quiet repose.
Technique & Style
Forain employed a loose, expressive style in Sur le lit, using overlapping lines to create texture and convey a sense of spontaneity. The etching technique, involving acid and needles, allowed for a rough, sketch-like quality that adds to the work's immediacy.
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.
Le repos du modèle (4e planche) (The Model's Rest) (fourth plate)
Misery (La Misère)
Femme mettant son bas (Woman Putting On Her Stockings)
Evening Wind
Der Kuss (The Kiss)
Misery (La Misère)
The Feathered Turban (Le turban à aigrette)
Nude Girl Combing Her Hair
Study of a Woman, Viewed from the Back (Étude de femme vue de dos)