Au Bureau de l'Ambigu Comique, from "Croquis Parisiens"
Original title: Au Bureau de l'Ambigu Comique, from "Croquis Parisiens"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Im Büro des Ambigu Comique' from 1856 sets a cheerful street scene before a shop window. A vendor holding a tray stands at the center, surrounded by passersby and a child. The sheet belongs to the series 'Pariser Skizzen' and survives in the second of two states.
Description
The row of figures stretches across the sheet in a broad format, backed by a shop window bearing the words 'LE FLEUR DES MERS'. A vendor offers his goods on a tray; beside him stands a child in traditional dress. Frontal light models the contours and shadows of the figures. The caricatural, humorous manner is characteristic of Daumier's lithographs.
Context
Daumier drew the sheet in 1856 for the series 'Pariser Skizzen', made for 'Le Charivari'. It takes up an everyday incident of Parisian street life, the kind of subject typical of the series. The artist was known for his satirical portrayals of bourgeois existence and social types.
Impact
Exaggerated expressions and postures give the scene a lively, amusing effect. Clear lighting and precise contours make it immediately legible and draw the viewer into the action.
Technique
Drawn on the stone with lithographic crayon, the sheet is executed as a lithograph. It is the second of two states recorded by Delteil. The sheet measures 25.1 × 36.7 cm, the printed image 20.6 × 25.1 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)