Artwork
A bon chat bon rat
A bon chat bon rat 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
A bon chat bon rat is a lithograph created by Honoré Daumier in 1840, capturing a moment of intense physical confrontation between two figures.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a chaotic scene of two men engaged in a violent altercation, with one wielding a chair and the other ducking to avoid the blow, their facial expressions conveying a sense of aggression and fear.
Technique & Style
Daumier employed lithography to produce the image, leveraging the medium's capacity for bold, expressive lines and stark contrasts to convey the drama of the scene.
Context
The work reflects Daumier's interest in observing and commenting on human behavior and social issues, with the scene likely intended to be humorous or satirical, given its dissemination through affordable prints to a broad audience.
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.
L'enlevement d'Hélène
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Spanish Scene (Scène espagnole)
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A caza de dientes (Out Hunting for Teeth)
Ah! il prétend m'empêcher d'aller...
Ah vous trouvez que mon dernier roman n'est pas tout a fait...
Disparate conocido (Well-Known Folly)