Artwork
La Partie de volant
La Partie de volant is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1869, La Partie de volant is a lithographic print on newsprint by the French artist Honoré Daumier. The work presents a brief, lively scene in which two female figures engage in a shuttlecock game, observed by a floating head labeled "Europe." The title translates directly as "the shuttlecock game," and the composition is rendered with swift, unrefined lines that convey immediacy.
Subject & Meaning
The image contrasts two women identified as "Guerre" (War) and "Paix" (Peace). The figure named War grips her bat with a fierce expression, while Peace holds hers calmly. Above them, a disembodied head bearing the inscription "Europe" watches the contest, suggesting a commentary on the continent’s oscillation between conflict and harmony.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph on inexpensive newsprint, the print relies on bold, rough contours and simplified shapes. Daumier’s characteristic satirical tone emerges through the exaggerated gestures and labeling, while the quick, sketch‑like quality of the line work underscores the spontaneity of the scene.
History & Provenance
The lithograph belongs to a prolific period when Daumier supplied caricatures and cartoons to the Parisian journals La Caricature and Le Charivari. Produced amid his regular output of social and political satire, the print reflects his ongoing interest in everyday French life and his critical eye toward contemporary events.
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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…
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