Artwork
J. Marie Joseph Deville
J. Marie Joseph Deville 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. J.
About this work
Overview
J. Marie Joseph Deville is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, created in 1849. The work is a satirical portrait of French politician Joseph Marie Deville, a frequent target of Daumier's caricatures in the republican press.
Subject & Meaning
The lithograph depicts Joseph Marie Deville as an older man with a serious, almost stern expression, dressed in formal attire. The portrayal critiques Deville's political stance during a time of social and political upheaval in France.
Technique & Style
Daumier employed lithography, a technique allowing direct drawing on stone, to produce this sketchy, unfinished-appearing portrait. The loose lines and quick execution characterize the expressive, accessible style typical of Daumier's political caricatures.
History & Provenance
Created during the Second Republic, this work was part of Daumier's contributions to publications like *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, reflecting his multifaceted practice as a painter, sculptor, and printmaker engaged with the tensions of mid-19th-century France.
Context
This lithograph is situated within Daumier's broader critique of political figures and social hierarchies under the July Monarchy and Second Republic, utilizing the immediacy of printmaking for social commentary.
Legacy
As part of Daumier's prolific output, J. Marie Joseph Deville contributes to the artist's legacy as a sharp commentator on 19th-century French politics and society through innovative, accessible printmaking techniques.
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.
