Artwork
Désagrément d'aller a la pêche...
Désagrément d'aller a la pêche... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1847 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1847, Désagrément d'aller à la pêche.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1847, Désagrément d'aller à la pêche... is a lithographic print by French artist Honoré Daumier. The work belongs to his prolific output of socially charged prints, produced alongside his painting and sculpture. It exemplifies Daumier’s engagement with everyday subjects as a vehicle for satire, reflecting the turbulent political climate of mid‑nineteenth‑century France.
Subject & Meaning
The image shows a solitary fisherman perched on a craggy bank, squinting as he hauls a line while his hat is pulled low and an empty basket lies at his side. The composition captures a moment of irritation, which Daumier amplifies to comment on the broader frustrations of the common citizen under the prevailing monarchical and clerical structures.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the print relies on loose, sketch‑like strokes that convey immediacy and spontaneity. Daumier’s handling of line emphasizes the fisherman’s tension, while the minimal background, calm water and distant ships, keeps focus on the figure. The technique allows for rapid production, suitable for the satirical prints he supplied to periodicals.
History & Provenance
Daumier produced the work while contributing regularly to the satirical journals La Caricature and Le Charivari. These publications circulated his critical views on the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy. The print’s original distribution was through these newspapers, and later it entered private collections before being acquired by museum holdings specializing in 19th‑century French graphic art.
Context
The lithograph emerges from a period of political upheaval following the 1848 Revolution, when republican ideas were gaining momentum. Daumier’s republican sympathies inform the work’s tone, using a mundane fishing scene to mirror the discontent of ordinary people confronting institutional authority.
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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…
