1871
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Ce pauvre Louis XIV n'en croyant pas ses yeux is a 1871 by Honoré Daumier, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a chaotic scene with a skeletal figure rising from the ground. Its arms stretch upward toward a group of people labeled "République Française Assemblée Nationale." The people look shocked, with one raising their hands in surprise. The whole image is drawn in rough, dark lines on light paper, giving it a scratchy, urgent feel. The title at the bottom hints this is a joke about King Louis XIV, but the artist’s point is lost without more context. The sketch was made quickly, likely as a newspaper illustration, using a printing method that saved time and money. Next, look up Daumier, Honoré to see how he used satire in other works.
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.
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