Artwork
La figure de ce monsieur ne me revient guère ...
La figure de ce monsieur ne me revient guère ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1864 lithograph titled La figure de ce monsieur ne me revient guère presents a compact interior of a railway carriage. Two male figures sit opposite one another on narrow seats, their bodies confined by the limited space of the compartment.
Subject & Meaning
The two passengers are distinguished by contrasting clothing and facial expressions, a visual cue that underscores divergent social positions. By juxtaposing their demeanors within the same confined setting, Daumier invites reflection on the interactions and tensions between differing classes in mid‑nineteenth‑century France.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the work employs the medium’s capacity for fine line work and tonal variation to render the cramped atmosphere and subtle facial nuances. Daumier’s characteristic satirical edge appears through exaggerated gestures and the stark contrast between the figures, hallmarks of his printmaking practice.
Context
Created during a period when railway travel was reshaping French society, the image captures a moment of everyday life that also serves as a commentary on the era’s social stratification. Daumian prints of this type often circulated in newspapers and albums, reaching a broad audience with their incisive social observations.
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.
