Artwork
2.000 fr...sans écurie...ça ne me convient pas!
2.000 fr...sans écurie...ça ne me convient pas! is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1840 lithograph titled *2.000 fr…sans écurie…ça ne me convient pas!* depicts a brief encounter between two men framed within a doorway. Rendered in monochrome, the print relies on stark contrasts of line and shadow to convey a charged atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes an older, apprehensive figure with a younger man whose enlarged head and intense gaze suggest agitation. The French caption, translating to “2,000 francs… no stable… I don’t agree!,” satirizes the indifference of affluent patrons toward laborers, highlighting class tension in mid‑19th‑century Paris.
Technique & Style
Daumier employed the lithographic process, drawing directly on a prepared stone surface with greasy ink before transferring the image to paper. His use of sharp, decisive lines and deep, bold shadows accentuates the caricatured features and reinforces the sense of immediacy and social critique.
Context
Created during a period when Daumier was actively publishing political and social caricatures, the print reflects his broader engagement with contemporary debates about wealth, labor, and the disparities of urban life. It stands as an example of his ability to blend humor with pointed commentary.
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
