Artwork
Le Mot d'ordre: Réaction... Pardon... Liberté
Le Mot d'ordre: Réaction... Pardon... Liberté is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Le Mot d'ordre: Réaction.
About this work
A strong man in the center holds a flag with the years *1869* and *1870* on it.
This sketch shows three figures in a dramatic pose. A strong man in the center holds a flag with the years *1869* and *1870* on it. To his right, a woman in flowing robes holds a broken chain. Behind them, a smaller figure in old-fashioned clothes watches, looking unsure.
The broken chain and flag suggest a message about freedom and change. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to make it feel urgent and alive.
Want to see more? Check out lithography to learn how this print was made.
Overview
Le Mot d'ordre: Réaction... Pardon... Liberté is a 1869 lithograph by Honoré Daumier, a French artist known for his satirical works.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts three figures: a central male figure holding a flag with the dates 1869 and 1870, a woman to his right grasping a broken chain, and a smaller, uncertain figure in the background. The imagery conveys a message about freedom and change, critiquing the political rhetoric of the time.
Technique & Style
Daumier employed quick, sketchy lines to create a sense of urgency and vitality in the lithograph, characteristic of his caricatural style.
Context
The work reflects Daumier's ongoing commentary on French politics and society, particularly during the late Second Empire, as he challenged the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy through his art.
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.
Le Temps éprouvant lui aussi le besoin de s'équiper a la mode
Non... vous n'êtes pas de cette pièce-la!
Vous aurez beau faire, ma pauvre presse...
Ou Venise commence a espérer
Death with an Old Man
Croyez-moi! prenez mon bras...
Trust me! Take my arm...
The Circle of the Corrupt Officials; the Devils Tormenting Ciampolo
Le Vice suprème: Frontispiece
L'Apoplexie allant remplacer a Londres la paralysie
The Circle of the Corrupt Officials; The Devils Tormenting Ciampolo
The Warning (L'avertissement)