Artwork
Eh bonjour! enchanté de vous rencontrer...
Eh bonjour! enchanté de vous rencontrer... 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. Eh bonjour!
About this work
Overview
Eh bonjour! enchanté de vous rencontrer... is a lithograph created by Honoré Daumier in 1840, part of a series of satirical prints critiquing the social and political landscape of his time.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts two men in a studio, one with long hair and a beard, the other older and bald, both shirtless and holding hands. The scene is rendered in a loose, sketch-like style, with a cluttered background featuring half-finished statues and scattered tools.
Technique & Style
The work is characterized by its spontaneous, unrefined execution, with the title written in French at the bottom and the artist's signature in the corner, exemplifying Daumier's use of lithography to produce quickly executed, satirical images.
Context
Produced during the July Monarchy and Second Republic, Daumier's print reflects his republican democratic stance, using satire to target the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy, consistent with his contributions to publications like La Caricature and Le Charivari.
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'homme in naturalibus
Une profession de foi
Les Bains a vingt centimes, nouveau style
Je n'y redescends plus!... je crois...
Allons lancez vous père goutot...
Parole d'honneur Mme. Frenouillet...
Monsieur Prudhomme ... Je me noie! ...
Origine des Bédoins a Paris
Je voudrais bien savoir quel est ...
Allons! mon jeune ami, une bonne poignée...