Artwork
Discussion de la constitution
Discussion de la constitution is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
You see three men in a room. One leans in, finger pointing. Another crosses his arms. The third looks away, mouth open mid-word. Their faces show real emotion.
This lithograph was made in 1848. That year France got a new government after a revolution. Daumier used a greasy crayon on stone to print this image. That’s lithography—ink sticks where the crayon is.
Look up Daumier, Honoré next.
Overview
Discussion de la constitution, a lithograph by Honoré Daumier (1848), portrays three men immersed in an intense conversation, conveying the fervor of political debate through varied facial expressions and body language.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures a pivotal moment of democratic discourse, reflecting the politically charged atmosphere of 19th-century France, particularly in 1848, a year marked by revolution and the establishment of a new government.
Technique & Style
Daumier employed lithography, using a greasy crayon on stone to create the image. This technique allowed for the expressive, emotive rendering of the men’s gestures and emotions, characteristic of Daumier’s style.
History & Provenance
Created in 1848, the lithograph is a product of the immediate post-revolutionary period in France, when political discussions like the one depicted were crucial for shaping the country’s new democratic framework.
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.
