Who painted Utilisant les loisirs...?

Utilisant les loisirs... was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1869.

Where can I see Utilisant les loisirs...?

Utilisant les loisirs... is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Utilisant les loisirs...?

Utilisant les loisirs... is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Utilisant les loisirs...

Honoré Daumier , 1869

Utilisant les loisirs... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1869 lithograph *Utilisant les loisirs…* is executed on newsprint, a material typical of the period’s mass‑produced illustrations.

Honoré Daumier’s 1869 lithograph *Utilisant les loisirs…* is executed on newsprint, a material typical of the period’s mass‑produced illustrations. The print belongs to Daumier’s extensive output as a caricaturist, a vocation that kept him closely linked to the satirical journals of his day. It presents a brief, sharply drawn scene that comments on the idle pursuits of the privileged class in mid‑century France.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts two men inside a modest interior. One, with disheveled hair and loose garments, leans over a table clutching a tool while gazing downward; the other stands nearby, absorbed in reading. The juxtaposition of work and leisure, rendered with a hint of absurdity, underscores Daumier’s critique of the upper class squandering free time on trivialities rather than productive effort.

Technique & Style

Created by lithography, the image relies on quick, gestural lines that convey immediacy, mirroring the rapid production cycles of newspaper illustration. The use of newsprint as a support amplifies the work’s newspaper‑like character, while the rough, sketch‑like quality emphasizes the artist’s intent to deliver a timely, pointed commentary rather than a polished finish.

History & Provenance

The print emerged during Daumier’s long association with satirical periodicals such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, where he regularly contributed anti‑monarchical and anti‑clerical caricatures. While specific exhibition records are scarce, the work survives in several public collections, reflecting its role as a representative example of Daumier’s socially engaged printmaking in the 1860s.

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.