1846
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Comme quoi l'emprisonnement cellulaire... is a 1846 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two men in a dim, shadowy room. One sits slumped on a chair, head tilted back, looking up. The other stands nearby, half-finished in light pencil strokes. A small framed portrait hangs crookedly on the wall, and a pile of crumpled paper lies on the floor. The lines are loose and expressive, not precise. The main figure’s pose and the messy setting might hint at frustration or exhaustion. The French text below reads like a sarcastic comment on prison life, matching the heavy mood. Next, check out lithography to see how artists like Daumier made sharp, expressive prints with this technique.
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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