← Honoré Daumier

This fool Dubrancard..., from 'Parisian sketches'

Original title: This fool Dubrancard..., from 'Parisian sketches'

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

April 23, 1864

Medium

Lithograph; first state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/4 × 8 5/8 in. (24.7 × 21.9 cm) Sheet: 15 13/16 × 10 9/16 in. (40.1 × 26.9 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Published on 23 April 1864, Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Dieser Narr Dubrancard...' appeared within the series 'Croquis parisiens'. The print leads into an interior where several people have gathered, with attention fixed on a man handing a cup to another figure.

Description

At the front a man holds a cup out to a smiling companion. Behind them other figures are scattered about, talking and filling the space of a salon or tavern. Fine strokes and graduated shading shape the bodies and the room, while light falling from above picks out faces and garments.

Context

For the satirical journal 'Le Charivari' Daumier drew the sequence 'Croquis parisiens', in which he took aim at Parisian city life. The sheet of 23 April 1864 belongs to this series, which paraded social types and everyday scenes. The title names a person or figure called Dubrancard, whose identity can no longer be established with certainty today.

Impact

The precise rendering of the milieu gives the picture something immediate and alive. From the interplay of the figures arises a tension that feels almost narrative and draws the viewer into the action.

Technique

The sheet was executed as a lithograph, a planographic process in which a drawing is made with greasy chalk on a stone. The present impression is the first of two states (Delteil), which suggests careful reworking by the artist. The nuanced lines and shading show how confidently Daumier could capture facial expressions and spatial depth.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)