Who painted Un Chemin dangereux?

Un Chemin dangereux was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1851.

Where can I see Un Chemin dangereux?

Un Chemin dangereux is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Un Chemin dangereux?

Un Chemin dangereux is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Un Chemin dangereux

Honoré Daumier , 1851

Un Chemin dangereux is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1851 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1851 lithograph *Un Chemin dangereux* portrays a group of men scrambling up a narrow, cliff‑side track. The figures, clad in dark garments, appear tense and precarious, clutching one another as they ascend toward a distant summit where a solitary statue crowns the hill.

Subject & Meaning

The composition suggests a collective struggle, the men’s strained expressions and careful footing evoking the difficulties of progress. Above the path a figure bearing the inscription “République Française” stands as a symbolic destination, hinting at the political aspirations and challenges faced by the French Republic in the mid‑nineteenth century.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the work displays Daumier’s brisk, gestural line work and stark contrasts of light and shadow. The print’s texture, achieved through varied pressure on the stone, accentuates the rugged terrain and the tension in the figures, while the limited tonal range reinforces the somber atmosphere.

History & Provenance

Created during Daumier’s most politically active period, the lithograph was likely produced for circulation in satirical journals such as *La Caricature* or *Le Charivari*. It reflects the artist’s prolific output of socially engaged prints, which were widely distributed among the literate public of the 1850s.

Context

The image emerges from a France marked by republican agitation, frequent clashes with monarchical and clerical authority, and a burgeoning press. Daumier’s republican sympathies informed his visual commentary, using everyday scenes to critique broader societal tensions and to champion the ideals of liberty and civic participation.

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.