1872
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Les écuries d'Augias is a 1872 by Honoré Daumier, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a muscular man leaning on a stick, standing over a tangled mess of ropes or chains. He looks tired but determined, with one hand on his hip and the other gripping the stick. The background is filled with messy, scribbled lines that look like a chaotic pile of junk or debris. The title *Les écuries d'Augias* refers to a myth where a hero cleans out a giant, filthy stable in one day. Daumier used this story to criticize corruption or neglect in politics or society. Next, check out Daumier, Honoré to see how he used art to comment on real-world issues.
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
