Artwork
Versailles!... Trois semaines d'arrêt!
Versailles!... Trois semaines d'arrêt! is a print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1871 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Versailles!
About this work
Overview
Versailles!... Trois semaines d'arrêt! is a print created by Honoré Daumier in 1871 using the gillotage technique on newsprint. It is a characteristic example of Daumier's satirical work, critiquing aspects of French life.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a train stuck between two hills labeled 'Versailles' and 'Poste de Paris', with two figures leaning out of the windows. The accompanying text, 'Versailles!... Trois semaines d'arrêt!', mocks the train's delay, reflecting frustration with slow travel in post-Empire France.
Technique & Style
The image is rendered in a loose, sketchy style with rough shading, characteristic of Daumier's work for publications like La Caricature and Le Charivari. The gillotage technique on newsprint allowed for quick, bold, and widely disseminated satirical commentary.
Context
Created in 1871, the print comments on the turbulent period following the fall of the Second French Empire, a time when Daumier's republican democratic views were particularly relevant.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French: ; 26 February 1808 – 10 or 11 February 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the…
Vous finirez par vous lasser de m'attaquer...
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Va te faire achever pour moi
Et ... Voila ...Les voyageurs qui nous passent devant le nez!
Belle dame voulez-vous ... accepter mon bras?
Le défenseur de Calas consolé...