M. Clemenceau. La lettre du Cte Czernin
c. 1914/1919
Medium
brush and black ink on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 33.3 x 50.2 cm (13 1/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.9059
Art Historical Context
Jean-Louis Forain's *M. Clemenceau. La lettre du Cte Czernin* (c. 1914/1919) captures a pivotal moment in World War I diplomacy through the sharp lens of political caricature. The drawing depicts French Prime Minister Georges Clemau reacting to a controversial letter from Austrian Count Ottokar Czernin, the Minister of Austria-Hungary In April 1918, Czernin publicly accusedenceau of duplicitous peace talks, sparking an international scandal that strained Allied relations and highlighted the tense propaganda battles of the era. Forain, a master illustrator who transitioned from Impressionism to...
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...