Artwork
Voyons ... admirez au moins ce Courbet! ...
Voyons ... admirez au moins ce Courbet! ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work functions as a visual commentary on the public’s encounter with contemporary art in mid‑19th‑century France.
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph titled *Voyons … admirez au moins ce Courbet!* presents a compact scene in which two male figures dominate the composition. Their faces are rendered with exaggerated expressions—one appears startled, the other equally animated—while the setting suggests the interior of an exhibition space. The work functions as a visual commentary on the public’s encounter with contemporary art in mid‑19th‑century France.
Subject & Meaning
The two men are caught in the act of viewing an artwork, their reactions ranging from surprise to excitement. By emphasizing their facial gestures, Daumier highlights the varied and often visceral responses that new artistic styles provoked among viewers. The title’s invitation to “see… admire at least this Courbet” further underscores a satirical nod to the contentious reception of Gustave Courbet’s realist paintings.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the print employs the medium’s capacity for bold line work and tonal contrast. Daumier’s characteristic caricatural style is evident in the exaggerated features and dynamic poses, while the relatively flat background suggests a gallery wall without detailed ornamentation, allowing the figures’ expressions to remain the focal point.
Context
Created during a period when French art was shifting toward realism and challenging academic conventions, the lithograph reflects contemporary debates about taste and the role of the viewer. Daumier, known for his social satire, uses this scene to critique the often bewildered public confronting avant‑garde works such as those by Courbet, whose approach sparked both admiration and controversy.
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.
