Who painted Toute entière a l'etude de son role ...?

Toute entière a l'etude de son role ... was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1858.

Where can I see Toute entière a l'etude de son role ...?

Toute entière a l'etude de son role ... is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Toute entière a l'etude de son role ...?

Toute entière a l'etude de son role ... is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Toute entière a l'etude de son role ...

Honoré Daumier , 1858

Toute entière a l'etude de son role ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1858 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1858 lithograph titled “Toute entière à l’étude de son rôle” captures a moment of domestic turbulence. A woman clutches an open book while her child hangs upside down amid scattered fragments of pottery, creating a scene that feels both hurried and fraught with tension.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes the mother’s engagement with literature against the precarious position of her child, suggesting a commentary on the competing demands placed on women. The overturned child and broken dishes amplify the sense of disorder, hinting at the challenges of motherhood within a constrained social framework.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the work relies on the repulsion of grease and water to produce swift, bold marks. Daumier’s loose, sketch‑like lines convey immediacy, reinforcing the chaotic atmosphere and emphasizing the raw emotional charge of the scene.

History & Provenance

Created in 1858, the print forms part of Daumier’s broader series of socially critical works. While specific ownership details are limited, the lithograph has been documented in catalogues of Daumier’s oeuvre and is referenced in scholarly studies of his mid‑nineteenth‑century output.

Context

During the 1850s, Daumian art frequently addressed everyday life and social inequities, often with satirical undertones. This piece aligns with his interest in portraying the lived experiences of ordinary people, particularly the often invisible labor and strain of women in the domestic sphere.

Artist & collection

Artist

Honoré Daumier

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.