1849
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Le Constitutionnel contemplant l'horizon politique is a 1849 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a chaotic crowd reaching up toward a man on a tall pedestal. The man holds a cane or stick while looking down, as if speaking or pointing. Below him, people clutch newspapers with titles like *Le Charivari* and *La Presse*, their faces turned upward in a mix of curiosity and frustration. The newspapers suggest this might be about politics or public opinion—Daumier often used satire to comment on society. The man on top looks like a figure of authority, but the crowd’s messy energy makes him seem distant or out of touch. Next, check out lithography to see how artists like Daumier made sharp, detailed prints with this technique.
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
