In the Wings
Medium
watercolor and black crayon on wove paper, mounted on board
Dimensions
sheet: 30.48 × 20.96 cm (12 × 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Olga Hirshhorn)
Accession Number
2015.143.1395
Art Historical Context
Jean Louis Forain's *In the Wings* (5) offers a captivating glimpse into the vibrant theater world of Second Empire Paris. Created when Forain was just 23, this intimate drawing captures the offstage energy—"in the wings"—where performers prepare amid the hush before the spotlight. As a rising artist influenced by Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet, For frequented Parisian music halls and theaters, sketching the everyday drama of actors, dancers, and stagehands with a keen eye for human emotion and fleeting moments. Rendered in watercolor and black crayon on smooth wove paper (30.48 × 20.96 cm), t...