Charles Joseph Traviès de Villers
1838
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Scènes de Moeurs: Le Problême embarassant... is a 1838 by Charles Joseph Traviès de Villers, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This sketch shows a man sitting on a wooden chair in a dim room. He’s wearing a rumpled jacket and slippers, one foot resting on the floor while the other dangles off the seat. A desk behind him holds a few books and a lamp, and a fireplace with a candelabra sits to the right. The walls are plain, and the light is soft, making everything look a bit shadowy. The title below calls it *"Le Problême embarassant"*—the awkward problem. It’s about a sailor with only 25 days left to live, but he still has to work for 30 more. Next, check out Romanticism to see how artists used drama and everyday life to tell bigger stories.
Charles-Joseph Traviès de Villers, also known simply as Traviès, was a Swiss-born French painter, lithographer, and caricaturist whose work appeared regularly in Le Charivari and La Caricature.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
