Artwork
Félix Barthe
Félix Barthe is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1833 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Félix Barthe, executed in 1833, is a lithographic print by French artist Honoré Daumier. The image presents a stout, formally dressed man, his posture casual with one hand in a pocket and the other clutching a small document. Thick, dark lines emphasize the figure’s bulk and solemn expression, characteristic of Daumier’s brisk, caricatural approach to portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is identified as Félix Barthe, a notable political figure of the July Monarchy. Daumier’s rendering exaggerates the subject’s corpulence and grave demeanor, employing humor to critique the authority and self‑importance of contemporary officials. The work reflects the artist’s republican sympathies and his broader practice of using satire to question power structures.
Technique & Style
Created through lithography, the print relies on a stone surface and greasy drawing materials, allowing Daumier to produce bold, gestural lines quickly. The heavy contouring and simplified forms convey immediacy, while the exaggerated proportions serve the caricature’s satirical intent. This method suited the rapid production cycles of the period’s political newspapers.
History & Provenance
Daumier produced the lithograph amid his contributions to satirical journals such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, which circulated widely during the 1830s. While the original stone plate is lost, surviving impressions have passed through private collections and museum holdings, illustrating the work’s continued relevance as a document of early nineteenth‑century French political commentary.
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.
