1864
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Une amelioration a apporter is a 1864 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This lithograph shows a crowded line at a turnstile with a sign that says “EXPOSITION.” Daumier draws the crowd in stiff, dignified clothes—hats, coats, canes—all waiting to get in. The joke is how stiff they look. Daumier often used lithography to mock Parisian life, and here he pokes fun at people who take art events too seriously. The thick, scratchy lines make the whole scene feel sharp and funny. Notice the top hat in the crowd—it’s almost a cartoon. Look up Daumier, Honoré to see more of his sharp satirical prints.
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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