La Visite à l'Atelier
Original title: La Visite à l'Atelier, from Croquis Parisiens, published in Le Charivari, May 22, 1857
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made the lithograph "La Visite à l’Atelier" in 1857; it appeared on 22 May in the satirical journal Le Charivari. The print belongs to the series "Croquis Parisiens" and shows a group of people in an artist's studio looking at a painting. It is the second state of two (Delteil).
Description
Several figures have gathered in a studio and turn their eyes toward a painting on the wall. In front stands a woman in a long, flowing gown; two men are behind her. One of them has placed his hand on her shoulder, as if to reassure her or draw her attention to something. The painting remains sketchy and is partly hidden by a curtain. Below the image, text and a caption identify the scene as "La Visite à l’Atelier".
Context
Daumier published the lithograph on 22 May 1857 in Le Charivari, where he regularly placed socially critical contributions. The series "Croquis Parisiens" took Parisian everyday life as its subject, including the artists' milieu and its visitors. The figures' historically styled, baroque-looking garments suggest an ironic distance from the contemporary art world.
Impact
The satirical undertone and the detailed drawing of the figures make the print immediately accessible. Because the black-and-white graphic is reduced, the interaction between the people and their relationship to the painting come to the fore; this creates an atmosphere of tension.
Technique
The work is executed as a black-and-white lithograph. It is the second state of two, as documented by Delteil. The sheet measures 25.3 × 36.1 cm, the image area 19.5 × 25.3 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)