Artwork
Présentation d'Ulysse a Nausica
Présentation d'Ulysse a Nausica is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1842 lithograph *Présentation d’Ulysse à Nausicaa* presents a brief, dynamic episode from Homer’s *Odyssey*.
Honoré Daumier’s 1842 lithograph *Présentation d’Ulysse à Nausicaa* presents a brief, dynamic episode from Homer’s *Odyssey*. The image captures a disheveled, half‑clothed man extending a leafy branch toward a startled group of women on a shoreline, with surf and a distant boat completing the setting. Daumier’s composition freezes a moment of surprise and tension, typical of his narrative approach to printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
The work translates the mythic encounter between Odysseus and Nausicaa into a scene that emphasizes human reaction rather than heroic grandeur. The women’s gestures—hands shielding faces, expressions of alarm—suggest a commentary on intrusion and vulnerability, echoing Daumier’s broader interest in social dynamics and the public’s response to unexpected presences.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the print relies on swift, sketch‑like lines that convey motion and immediacy. Daumier’s hand‑drawn marks create a sense of spontaneity, while the contrast between the rough male figure and the more delicate female forms highlights the emotional charge of the encounter. The lithographic process allowed him to reproduce these gestural qualities efficiently for a wide audience.
History & Provenance
Created in 1842, the lithograph emerged during Daumier’s prolific period of producing satirical prints for journals such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*. Though the image references a classical narrative, it aligns with his contemporaneous practice of using familiar stories to critique present‑day social hierarchies. The print has since entered public collections, illustrating Daumier’s blend of literary allusion and social observation.
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.
Introduction of Ulysses to Nausica
Untitled
Télémaque et Mentor
Alexander and Diogenes
Télémaque interrogé par les sages
The Prodigal Son (3rd Plate)
L'Ane et les deux voleurs
Job (First Plate)
Bon mot du temps
Réflection intime d'un épicier
Death and the Woodcutter, 4th plate (La Mort et le bûcheron)
Présentation d'Ulysse a Nausica