Artwork
La tête de Méduse pour l'épicier fautif
La tête de Méduse pour l'épicier fautif is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1856 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
La tête de Méduse pour l'épicier fautif is a lithograph print by Daumier, depicting a shop scene with a shopkeeper and three customers.
Subject & Meaning
The shopkeeper holds up Medusa's severed head, causing the customers to recoil in alarm, while he grins mischievously, suggesting he has sold them subpar goods. The scene satirizes the dynamics of commercial transactions and the greed of shopkeepers.
Technique & Style
Bold black lines and detailed shading create a vivid, humorous scene, characteristic of Daumier's style and the lithographic medium.
Context
The print reflects Daumier's tendency to mock greedy individuals in his art, offering a commentary on 19th-century commercial life.
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.
