Who painted Trop de politesse?

Trop de politesse was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1857.

Where can I see Trop de politesse?

Trop de politesse is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Trop de politesse?

Trop de politesse is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Trop de politesse

Honoré Daumier , 1857

Trop de politesse is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumée r’s lithograph “Trop de politesse” depicts a brief, outdoor tableau in which two hunters, each accompanied by a dog, pause to exchange an overly formal greeting. A rabbit darts away in the background, underscoring the incongruity between the genteel gesture and the hunting context.

Subject & Meaning

The print satirizes the social rituals of the mid‑nineteenth‑century French countryside, exaggerating the hunters’ courtesy to the point of absurdity. By juxtaposing refined politeness with the violent purpose of the hunt, Daumée r highlights the performative nature of manners and the gap between public decorum and private intent.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph, the work relies on bold, fluid lines and stark contrasts of black and white to define figures and landscape. Daumée r’s characteristic caricatural exaggeration is evident in the elongated postures and exaggerated gestures, while the simplified background keeps focus on the interaction between the two men and their dogs.

Context

Created during Daumée r’s prolific period of social satire, the print aligns with his broader interest in everyday scenes that reveal human foibles. The hunting motif was a common subject in French art, but Daumée r subverts it, turning a familiar leisure activity into a commentary on the pretensions of polite society.

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.