Artwork
Bordeaux-Laffite
Bordeaux-Laffite is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1836 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Bordeaux-Laffite is a hand-colored lithograph created by Honoré Daumier in 1836. It is a print that showcases Daumier's skill as a caricaturist and his engagement with the social and political issues of his time.
Subject & Meaning
The lithograph depicts a man seated in a red armchair, holding a glass of wine, with a serious expression. The image is part of Daumier's Galerie Physiologique series, which aimed to reveal a person's character through their appearance. The subject may be a representation of a specific individual, possibly identified by the name 'Bordeaux-Laffite'.
Technique & Style
The print is a hand-colored lithograph, a technique that allowed for mass production of images with added color detail. Daumier's use of bold colors, such as the red of the armchair and vest, draws attention to specific elements of the composition, while the plain background emphasizes the subject.
Context
Daumier was a prolific printmaker who contributed to publications like La Caricature and Le Charivari, using satire to critique French politics and society during the July Monarchy. Bordeaux-Laffite is one of many socially and politically charged images he produced during this period.
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.
