Artwork
La dêroute!
La dêroute! is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumée’s lithograph titled La dêroute! presents a bustling tableau of disorder. Central to the composition is an urn marked “URNE DU SCRUTIN DU 10 MARS,” surrounded by a crowd in hurried, unsettled postures. Scattered sheets of printed French text litter the ground, amplifying the sense of confusion and agitation that pervades the scene.
Subject & Meaning
The work satirically references a specific electoral event, the March 10 poll, using the overturned ballot box as a visual metaphor for political turmoil. The frantic figures and strewn documents suggest public discontent and the chaotic aftermath of a contested vote, inviting viewers to contemplate the instability of democratic processes in Daumée’s contemporary France.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, Daumée drew directly onto a flat stone surface, exploiting the medium’s capacity for bold lines and tonal variation. The print’s stark contrasts and energetic brush‑like strokes convey movement and tension, while the fine detailing of the textual fragments demonstrates the artist’s skill in rendering both narrative and nuance within a single sheet.
History & Provenance
Created during Daumée’s prolific period of political caricature, the lithograph was produced in the mid‑19th century, a time of frequent electoral unrest in France. Original impressions circulated among the artist’s circle and were later acquired by several European collections, where they continue to serve as documentary evidence of the era’s sociopolitical climate.
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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…
