Item #24458 Twelfth Night. Woodcut. Jean Louis Forain.

Twelfth Night. Woodcut.

Ca. 1919. Signed in pencil by the artist at the lower right. A bold b&w woodcut depicting the character Feste, the fool, in Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. He is depicted with a star topped staff over one shoulder, and with a clownish face. Feste converses with Count Orsino at the right, while a female character waits in the shadows at the left.

Feste is the clown in Olivia’s household, and moves between Olivia’s and Count Orsino’s homes. He earns his keep by cracking jokes, being bright and witty, and offering advice hidden behind a guise of foolishness. Feste often is portrayed as the wisest character in the play.

Forain (1852 – 1931) was a French Impressionist painter and print maker, one of the most noted on the first few decades of the 1900s. He was the most famous caricaturist of the Belle Epoque, and was influenced by the work of Daumier and Degas, a life long friend and colleague.

11 1/2 x 13" on paper 14 3/4 x 21". Paper lightly toned. The print wonderfully bold, with graphic b&w decorative elements. Very good condition. Item #24458

Price: $325.00

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