Artwork
La voyez-vous la comète? ... La-haut ...
La voyez-vous la comète? ... La-haut ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Honoré Daumée’s lithograph titled “La voyez‑vous la comète?
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumée’s lithograph titled “La voyez‑vous la comète? … La‑haut …” presents a nocturnal urban scene rendered in a single tonal range. Two figures, dressed in mid‑nineteenth‑century clothing, stand on a street and gesture upward toward a sky densely populated with stars. The composition captures a moment of lively exchange, suggesting a shared focus on an astronomical event.
Subject & Meaning
The work centers on the interaction between the two men as they point to the heavens, presumably discussing an observed comet, as implied by the title. Their animated posture and the contrast between the ordinary city setting and the expansive night sky highlight a theme of human curiosity, illustrating how a celestial phenomenon can interrupt everyday life and provoke collective wonder.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on the medium’s capacity for fine line work and tonal variation within a monochrome palette.
Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on the medium’s capacity for fine line work and tonal variation within a monochrome palette. Daumée employs delicate hatching to render architectural details and the star‑filled firmament, while the figures are delineated with bold strokes that emphasize gesture. The overall style reflects the artist’s interest in social scenes rendered with observational clarity.
History & Provenance
Created in the nineteenth century, the print belongs to Daumée’s broader series of urban genre scenes that document contemporary life. While specific exhibition or ownership records are limited, the lithograph has been catalogued among his works that explore public spaces and the interplay between ordinary citizens and extraordinary events.
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.
La voyez-vous la comète? ...
La parisiens dans l'attente de la ...comète
Vois-tu, c'est l'éclipse qui commence ...
Vous verrez ... rien n'échappera a la baisse ...
Votre maison me fait l'effet de devoir ...
Quelle heure est'il, s'il vous plait?...
Précaution indispensable que prennent les Parisiens ...
Je suis bien malheureux, si vous voulez ...
Voisin, êtes-vous comme moi? ...