1870
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Pourvu que l'aiguilleur ne fasse rien dérailler! is a 1870 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
You see a man at a train switch, pulling a lever. His cap and coat look worn. The image is black and white, full of rough lines and shadows. Daumier used a common 1800s printing method called lithography. It lets artists draw on stone with greasy ink. Here, the grainy texture makes the scene feel urgent and real. Look for more by the same hand: Daumier, Honoré
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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