Artwork
Un jour de grande tenue
Un jour de grande tenue is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1844 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Un jour de grande tenue is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, a French artist known for his satirical works.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts two soldiers in formal uniforms, one saluting and the other standing at attention, with exaggerated facial features and stiff postures, satirizing the pomp and ceremony of military life.
Technique & Style
Created using lithography, a technique that allows for mass production of printed images, the work features heavy lines and caricatured forms, emphasizing the absurdity of the scene.
Context
Produced during a period when France was liberally awarding honors to garner public support, the lithograph critiques the societal norms and institutions of the time, reflecting Daumier's experience as a caricaturist for newspapers.
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.
