Artwork

Baissez le rideau, la farce est jouée (Lower the Curtain, the Farce is Over)

Baissez le rideau, la farce est jouée (Lower the Curtain, the Farce is Over) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1834 lithograph Baissez le rideau, la farce est jouée presents a theatrical scene in which a flamboyantly dressed figure, clad in a diamond‑patterned costume, dominates a dimly lit stage. The caption beneath the image, “Lower the Curtain, the Farce is Over,” signals a satirical closure, inviting viewers to interpret the tableau as a commentary on contemporary public affairs.

Subject & Meaning

The central character, exaggerated in posture and gesture, embodies a jester‑like critic of authority. By juxtaposing the solitary performer with a small, shadowed audience and a modestly dressed woman at the side, Daumier underscores the disparity between those who stage spectacle and the muted spectators, suggesting that political power, like theatrical farce, is ultimately fleeting and absurd.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the print relies on Daumier’s characteristic loose, sketch‑like line work, which conveys immediacy and spontaneity. The medium allows for bold contrasts between dark background and the bright, patterned costume, while the rapid, gestural strokes heighten the sense of movement and mock‑heroic exaggeration that defines his caricatural approach.

History & Provenance

Created during Daumier’s prolific period as a contributor to satirical journals such as La Caricature and Le Charivari, the work reflects his republican sympathies and his habit of targeting the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy. The lithograph circulated among the readership of these publications, serving as a visual critique of French political life in the years following the 1830 Revolution.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Honoré Daumier

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…