Artwork
Ratapoil et Casmajou
Ratapoil et Casmajou is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1850, this lithographic print by Honoré Daumier presents a satirical scene of two men in formal dress confronting each other. Both figures are rendered in full length and shown in profile, their bodies twisted as they face one another. The composition relies on exaggerated proportions and a stark, graphic quality that immediately signals a humorous critique of contemporary society.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a pair of suited gentlemen, one topped with a hat, the other wearing a sly grin. By inflating their heads and emphasizing caricatured facial features, Daumier lampoons the pretensions of the affluent class and the political maneuverings of mid‑nineteenth‑century France, suggesting that power is often exercised with a veneer of decorum masking underlying folly.
Technique & Style
Executed with lithography, Daumier transferred ink from a prepared stone surface onto paper, a method that allowed rapid production and bold line work.
Executed with lithography, Daumier transferred ink from a prepared stone surface onto paper, a method that allowed rapid production and bold line work. The print’s crisp contours, stark contrasts, and amplified heads exemplify his characteristic satirical style, where sharp outlines and simplified forms heighten the comedic effect while retaining enough detail to identify the subjects as members of the elite.
History & Provenance
The lithograph emerged during the turbulent 1850s, a period marked by political upheaval and social tension in France. Daumier, known for his prolific output of socially engaged prints, used this medium to disseminate his commentary widely. While specific ownership records are limited, the piece has been catalogued among his series of political caricatures that circulated among contemporary audiences.
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.
