Artwork
L'ouverture de la chasse
L'ouverture de la chasse is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1844 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph L’ouverture de la chasse, dated 1844, presents a compact scene in which two men converse on a surface that resembles a newspaper page. One figure clutches a sheet of paper, while the other holds a rifle, creating a juxtaposition of written communication and armed presence within a single, everyday setting.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a fleeting moment of public interaction in mid‑nineteenth‑century France, suggesting a dialogue between civic discourse and personal defense. By pairing a document with a weapon, Daumier hints at the balance between authority, embodied by the rifle, and leisure or information exchange, as symbolized by the paper.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the print displays Daumier’s characteristic bold line work and economical use of tone, typical of his socially observant prints. The medium allows for rapid reproduction and a crisp rendering of the figures, emphasizing the immediacy of the encounter while preserving subtle details of clothing and posture.
Context
Created during a period of political turbulence and expanding public press in France, the image reflects contemporary concerns about the role of the press and the presence of armed authority in daily life. The lithograph thus serves as a visual commentary on how ordinary citizens navigated information and power in the 1840s.
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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…
- Un jour de garde
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