Artwork
C.H. Odilon Barrot
C.H. Odilon Barrot is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1849, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier depicts the French statesman Odilon Barrot in a deliberately exaggerated manner. The image presents Barrot standing on a raised platform, his hands in his pockets, while a vague crowd of onlookers gathers below. The work is characteristic of Daumier’s prolific output as a printmaker and caricaturist during the mid‑nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
Barrot, a prominent liberal politician of the July Monarchy, is rendered larger‑than‑life, emphasizing his public prominence.
Barrot, a prominent liberal politician of the July Monarchy, is rendered larger‑than‑life, emphasizing his public prominence. The indistinct faces of the surrounding spectators suggest a generic audience, underscoring Daumier’s focus on the figure’s authority rather than individual reactions. The composition satirically comments on the politician’s role as a public speaker and the broader dynamics of political performance in post‑revolutionary France.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the print employs bold line work and stark contrast to accentuate Barrot’s features while rendering the crowd in loose, sketch‑like strokes. Daumier’s characteristic exaggeration of facial proportions and the use of simplified forms convey a critical tone, aligning the piece with his broader satirical visual language developed for periodicals such as La Caricature and Le Charivari.
History & Provenance
The lithograph emerged during a period of intense political debate in France, following the 1848 revolutions and preceding the Second Empire. Produced for circulation in contemporary newspapers, it circulated widely among the literate public. Today, the print is held in several museum collections, reflecting its significance as a document of nineteenth‑century French political caricature.
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.
