Moi, jè sors de sentiers battus..., from "Les Plaisirs de la Villégiature"
Original title: Moi, jè sors de sentiers battus..., from "Les Plaisirs de la Villégiature"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph, dated May 21, 1858, belongs to the series Les Plaisirs de la Villégiature. Printed on newsprint, this black-and-white sheet presents three figures in a wintry park setting.
Description
Three figures occupy the image: a woman in a long, flowing dress with a parasol looks toward a man bent forward, examining something on the ground. A third gentleman, wearing a top hat and coat, stands to the side and also gazes downward. Bare trees and shrubs in the background indicate winter. Along the bottom edge runs accompanying text that reproduces the dialogue of the scene.
Context
The lithograph appeared on May 21, 1858, in the satirical journal Le Charivari as part of the series Les Plaisirs de la Villégiature. That series poked fun at the pleasures and quirks of Parisian bourgeois country life. Daumier, known for his socially critical caricatures, depicted everyday scenes with subtle irony. Three states of the work exist; this impression is the third.
Impact
The wintry setting and spare linework give the scene a quiet, reflective mood. The figures' body language lends it a gentle comedy, typical of Daumier's humorous take on the bourgeoisie. Viewers are invited to decipher the situation and the accompanying text.
Technique
Lithography on newsprint was the standard process for Daumier's series. It allowed fine gradations in gray tones, used here for details of clothing and landscape. This impression is the third state, suggesting several revisions of the plate.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)