Lost Illusions
probably 1918
Medium
black crayon on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 33.5 x 50.3 cm (13 3/16 x 19 13/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.4128
Art Historical Context
Jean-Louis Forain's *Lost Illusions*, likely created around 1918 captures a poignant moment at the close of World War I. This black crayon drawing on wove paper (33.5 x 50.3 cm) exemplifiesain's evolution from his Impressionist roots—where he exhibited alongside Degas and Monet—to a more incisive realist style. By the war years, Forain had become a prolific illustrator and official war artist, channeling his satirical edge into somber reflections on human suffering and societal upheaval. The title evokes the shattered optimism of the fin-de-siècle, intensified by the Great War's devastation. ...
About the Artist
Jean-Louis Forain
Jean-Louis Forain was born Louis Henri Forain on October 23, 1852, in Reims, France, to a family of modest means; his father painted ornamental signs. The family relocated to Paris when he was eight, where young Forain developed a passion for drawing inspired by the sculptures of Reims Cathedral and the masters at the Louvre, which he began copying at age fourteen. He received drawing lessons from...