Les nouveaux Icares
1850
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1850
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Daumier’s lithograph shows chubby men in suits tumbling from the sky. Feathers swirl around them. Sunlight turns their plunge into a sharp joke. Daumier loved exposing human folly. He drew powerful people as clumsy fools. This print mocks those who aim too high and crash hard. Watch how the sunlight makes their fall look ridiculous. See it at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
