Sur le lit (On the Bed)

Jean-Louis Forain

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of an interior scene with a framed picture on the wall and a form reclining on the floor. The drawing depicts a room with vertical and horizontal lines suggesting wooden paneling on the walls. To the left, there is a framed picture hanging, presenting an indistinct figure, possibly a portrait, sketched with similar line work. In the foreground, a reclining form on the floor draws focus with its curves and texture. The use of cross-hatching adds depth and shadows, enhancing the textural quality of the walls and the figure, imparting a feeling of quiet solitude within an otherwise empty space.