Artwork
Mais pis que j'vous dis qu'c'est des amis ...
Mais pis que j'vous dis qu'c'est des amis ... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph titled “Mais pis que j'vous dis qu'c’est des amis …” presents a bustling urban tableau in which a scuffle erupts on a city street. The composition captures a moment of disorder: a figure lies on the ground while surrounding passers‑by react, creating a sense of immediacy and tension that reflects the artist’s focus on everyday public life.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a spontaneous street confrontation, with the fallen individual at the forefront and a crowd of onlookers in various poses of surprise, amusement, or concern. Daumier’s choice of this scene underscores his interest in the social dynamics of 19th‑century Paris, offering a subtle commentary on the volatility and communal voyeurism inherent in crowded urban environments.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the work relies on the medium’s capacity for swift, gestural lines and tonal variation, allowing Daumier to render the bustling crowd with energetic brush‑like strokes. The lithographic process, which uses a stone or metal plate treated with grease, enables the artist to capture the immediacy of the scene while preserving the rough, sketch‑like quality characteristic of his satirical prints.
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.
