a patient dog and a fishing pole: forain's "the fisherman"

thanks wikimedia commons (PD)

This post is dedicated to Zip, my parents' old Australian shepherd, who had to fly away Saturday morning.  Now he can feel good again, run as much as he likes and be free of pain.  Good boy, Zip.

Would you think this had been done by a master of Parisian society scenes? The Impressionist Jean-Louis Forain (French, 1852-1931) was best known for realist portrayals of people enjoying themselves in the city, dressed up (or undressed), drinking, partying, performing.  And then there's this, a quiet empty periwinkle dawn with the clouds' reflections stirring about on the water, and a dog happy to sit and be.  I get the feeling Forain painted this as a break from the usual fare of lights, crowds and voices, celebrating an entirely different sort of companionship.