Artwork
A bon chat bon rat
A bon chat bon rat is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
A bon chat bon rat is a lithograph created by Honoré Daumier in 1840, capturing a moment of intense physical confrontation between two figures.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a chaotic scene of two men engaged in a violent altercation, with one wielding a chair and the other ducking to avoid the blow, their facial expressions conveying a sense of aggression and fear.
Technique & Style
Daumier employed lithography to produce the image, leveraging the medium's capacity for bold, expressive lines and stark contrasts to convey the drama of the scene.
Context
The work reflects Daumier's interest in observing and commenting on human behavior and social issues, with the scene likely intended to be humorous or satirical, given its dissemination through affordable prints to a broad audience.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French: ; 26 February 1808 – 10 or 11 February 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the…
L'enlevement d'Hélène
Je t'ai déjà défendu de m'appeler maitre...
Spanish Scene (Scène espagnole)
They Carried Her Off!, Plate 8
L'inconvénient d'avoir des domestiques ...
A caza de dientes (Out Hunting for Teeth)
Ah! il prétend m'empêcher d'aller...
Ah vous trouvez que mon dernier roman n'est pas tout a fait...
Disparate conocido (Well-Known Folly)