1859
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Un Parasol dans une position difficile is a 1859 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a woman struggling to hold a giant umbrella over her head. Behind her, two flags wave—one labeled "ESPAGNE" and the other "FRANCE"—while a crowd of people stands in the background. The umbrella’s handle is buried in her hair, and her dress billows wildly. The title means *"An umbrella in a difficult position,"* hinting at the chaos of balancing it. Daumier often used humor to comment on politics and daily life. Next, look up 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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