Don't move... you are superb just like that..., from 'The landscape painters,' published in Le Charivari, April 12, 1865
Original title: Don't move... you are superb just like that..., from 'The landscape painters,' published in Le Charivari, April 12, 1865
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in 1865, showing a painter at work in the open air with a woman standing beside him as his model. The print belongs to the series 'Les Paysagistes' and survives in the third of three states (Delteil). It was printed as a lithograph on newsprint.
Description
A man has settled onto a chair in front of his easel and is painting, dressed in jacket, trousers and leg gaiters. Facing him stands a woman in a long dress with an apron and a hat, a bow in her hand. Trees and a clouded sky close off the view behind them. Black and white with graded greys and delicate lines defines the image, and the figures and landscape read as realistic yet slightly exaggerated.
Context
Le Charivari, the satirical newspaper, published this lithograph on 12 April 1865 as part of Daumier's series 'Les Paysagistes'. In it he took aim at the popular genre of landscape painting, above all the habit of painting outdoors. The series reflects the art world of its day and the public standing of artists.
Impact
The calm layout and clear drawing give the print a humorous but attentive gaze. A quiet irony arises between painter and model, enough to raise a smile without tipping into the grotesque. Thanks to the greys, the sheet feels still and almost documentary.
Technique
The work was printed as a lithograph on newsprint. That process allows fine gradations of grey and precise lines, with which figures and landscape are rendered realistically. The final version of the print is present in the third of three states.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)