1880
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Les saltimbanques is a 1880 by Honoré Daumier, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a group of street performers in a rough, crowded scene. One man in the center holds a tall staff topped with a bunch of flowers and bells, while others play instruments or watch. The lines are loose and sketchy, almost like they were drawn quickly. Faces are blurred, and the whole scene feels busy and alive. The artist used a rough, scratchy style that makes the figures look like they’re moving. This was a way to show real life, not polished perfection. Next, look up Daumier, Honoré to see more of his sharp, funny drawings.
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.
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