Our painting represents a room behind the coulisses or in some place else within the theatre. Lamps hidden behind the screen on the right flood the room. The ballerina stands just outside the glare of light but some of the strong rays are cast down on her dress, causing small white flecks. A wealthy ballet lover is absorbing his favourite ballerina with his eyes, a theme treated frequently by Forain. The fluffiness of the ballerina’s tutu is beautifully contrasted with the tight black costume of the gentleman. The little dancer poses elegantly and, fully aware of the situation, seems quite comfortable with the attention she receives. The ‘abonnee’ on the other hand is not able to hide his infatuation with the girl as he firmly holds his walking stick with both hands. His face, conjured with just a few loose strokes, shows a mixture of interest and restrain.

Jean Louis Forain was a pupil of Jean-Léon Gérôme at the Ècole des Beaux-Arts. While copying Old Masters in the Louvre, he developed a passion for Rembrandt and Goya. Meanwhile he became active as a lithographer and cartoonist, in which capacity he contributed to various journals, such as ‘Le Rire Satirique’ and ‘Le Monde Parisien’. Both in his journalistic output and in his artistically inspired work Forain favoured themes from Parisian society. Theatre and night-life, world events and the literary and political life of his day proliferate in his prodigious production of illustrations. Forain was acquainted with many important critical writers of Paris in the 1860s and 1870s, including Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud and J.-K. Huysmans through the Café Guerbois and the Place Pigalle, where he also acquainted Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas. It was the latter, who invited him to participate in the fourth Impressionist exhibition, after which Forain also contributed to the fifth, sixth and eighth exhibitions. In his later career Forain was honoured for his artistic achievements with international exhibitions and many official awards.