1850
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
On a beau dire, l'antique est toujours beau... is a 1850 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two men sitting on a stone bench in what looks like a park or garden. One man is leaning forward, holding a hat and looking at a statue up close. The other man sits quietly beside him. Behind them is a tall tree and a marble statue of a woman holding something, placed on a pedestal. The whole scene is drawn in quick, sketchy lines with no color. The text at the top reads *"Tout ce qu’on voudra"* and below, the men seem to be joking about the statue. One line says, *"On a beau dire, l’antique est toujours beau..."*—which roughly means "No matter what they say, the antique is always beautiful..." Want to know more about how this sketch was made? Check out lithography.
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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