Artwork
Tiens, mon ami, voici M. Chapoulard ...
Tiens, mon ami, voici M. Chapoulard ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1853 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1853 lithograph titled *Tiens, mon ami, voici M. Chapoulard* presents a compact scene of three formally dressed men. The central figure extends a finger toward a companion whose expression suggests surprise, while a third figure watches. The composition is rendered in stark black lines on a light background, typical of Daumier’s print work of the period.
Subject & Meaning
The three gentlemen, all in stiff, contemporary suits, embody a moment of social interaction that hints at hierarchy and camaraderie. The pointing gesture and the startled reaction convey a narrative of introduction or reprimand, reflecting mid‑nineteenth‑century manners and the subtle power dynamics that Daumier often explored through everyday encounters.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, Daumier employed a light ink on a prepared stone surface, allowing him to draw bold, decisive lines that define the figures’ silhouettes and facial features. The limited tonal range emphasizes gesture and expression over background detail, a hallmark of his approach to capturing character through minimal yet precise visual information.
History & Provenance
Created in 1853, the print belongs to the prolific period when Daumier produced numerous lithographs for satirical journals and private collectors. While specific ownership records for this particular sheet are scarce, it aligns with his broader output of socially observant prints that circulated widely in Parisian artistic and literary circles of the era.
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.
