Artwork
Posant en membre du comice d'agriculture ...
Posant en membre du comice d'agriculture ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph titled “Posant en membre du comice d’agriculture” presents a solitary figure seated before a low wall. The print, executed in the characteristic black‑and‑white lithographic technique, captures a quiet moment of stillness, inviting the viewer to pause alongside the subject.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure displays a thoughtful expression, one arm resting lightly on the wall, suggesting a pause for contemplation. Adjacent objects—a decorative vase and an antiquated camera—serve as visual cues to themes of observation, memory, and the fleeting nature of everyday life.
Technique & Style
Daumier employs the lithographic process to render fine line work and subtle tonal variations, allowing the texture of the wall and the sheen of the vase to emerge with clarity. The composition balances detailed rendering of objects with broader, softer washes that convey atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Created during Daumier’s prolific period of printmaking in the mid‑19th century, the work reflects his interest in genre scenes and social commentary. The print has circulated among private collections and museum holdings, illustrating the artist’s enduring appeal to collectors of French lithography.
Context
The title references a “comice d’agriculture,” a rural fair or agricultural exhibition common in France at the time. By placing an individual in a reflective pose amid symbols of domesticity and technology, Daumier juxtaposes the pastoral setting with the encroaching modernity of photographic equipment.
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.
