1849
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Le Constitutionnel contemplant l'horizon politique is a 1849 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a big guy standing high up, pointing at something. Below him, a crowd of smaller figures reaches up, holding newspapers with names like *Le Charivari* and *La Presse*. One guy wears a feathered hat, and another looks frustrated, clutching his paper. The scene feels chaotic, like a scramble for news. The big guy up top might be a stand-in for power or the government, while the crowd below represents the public. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to show the rush and noise of the moment. Want to see more? Check out Daumier, Honoré.
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.
See the richer artist page
