1840
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Quand on est possesseur de cent actions... is a 1840 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
A man sits high in a skinny tree, dangling his legs like a kid on a swing. His arms are wrapped around a branch, one hand holding a rope that’s tied to something small and bird-like in the distance. He’s wearing a loose shirt and striped pants, looking down with a smirk. The tree is gnarled, almost cartoonish, and the ground below is just a quick sketch of water and buildings. The caption below is a joke about rich people—it says if you’re loaded, you climb trees to avoid tight spots. The drawing is rough but full of personality, like a fast sketch turned into art. Want to know more? Check out lithography to see how artists like Daumier made prints like this.
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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