Who painted Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler...?

Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler... was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1855.

Where can I see Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler...?

Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler... is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler...?

Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler... is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler...

Honoré Daumier , 1855

Allant gouter ce qu'on est convenu d'appeler... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1855 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1855, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier captures a brief, wintery scene rendered in a loose, sketch‑like manner. Two men in thick coats sit on a bench amid a barren landscape, one leaning forward with an object in his hands while the other rests his head down. A curled dog lies nearby, and leafless branches frame the composition, evoking a cold, everyday moment.

Subject & Meaning

The work portrays ordinary figures engaged in a modest activity that the title suggests may be related to hunting, even in December. By focusing on a mundane encounter, Daumier subtly critiques the routines of the bourgeois class, hinting at the performative aspects of leisure and the underlying social hierarchies of mid‑nineteenth‑century France.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on rapid, gestural lines that convey immediacy and a sense of spontaneity. Daumier’s characteristic exaggeration appears in the exaggerated postures and the stark, almost caricatural rendering of clothing and environment, reinforcing the satirical tone while maintaining a realistic sense of space.

History & Provenance

The print emerged during Daumier’s prolific period of work for oppositional periodicals such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*. Though not tied to a specific publication, it reflects his broader engagement with social commentary under the July Monarchy and early Second Empire, circulating among the satirical press and private collectors of the era.

Artist & collection

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.