Honore Daumier's Works of Art - Essay Example

Honore Daumier Honore Daumier was a French national who lived, in France, from 1808 to 1879 when he passed away His life and workings are renowned to this day all around the world. He was a designer, a painter, a sculptor and a publisher famous for his satirical caricatures of the French government. He was an instrument of the ordinary people against the government throughout his time. He was more well-liked for his caricatures than his oil works of art, sketch and water color works. Although not very well-liked, his works of art are regarded as to have initiated the concept of impressionism in modern art. His sculptures are still being studied to this day as there is yet to be an in-depth analysis of them He came from a family of artists. His father and grandfather dealt in picture frames and table decorative, that they had made themselves, while his godfather was a painter. Daumier went to a middle class school but found no interest in education. His parents introduced him to Alexandre Lenoir, a well known actor, as a beginner. Alexandre had a collection of the best medieval and contemporary sculptures that Daumier drew motivation from. After his father was debilitated due to madness, Daumier set out to look for a paying profession. He worked as a messenger for a bailiff and familiarized himself with the workings of the law. Later, he abandoned this to follow his dream of being a painter. He started selling lithographs that he had made while still a child as well as getting paid to make portraits as means to supplement his works of art. He started as a lithographer, cartoonist but ended up as an impressionist painter in his later years. He lived through three generations and saw France be transformed from a monarchy to a free republic. He began his career by sending caricatures to a weekly anti-monarchist magazine called ‘La Caricature,’ owned by a print publisher named Aubert. The monarch, Louis-Philippe, reintroduced censorship following the popularity Daumier’s against him were gaining. Daumier was later sent to jail for an anti-monarchial lithograph, ‘Gargantua,’ published in La Caricature. This section demonstrates a well nourished Louis-Philippe on a commode, as the ravenous populace fight back up a plank to put treasures in his mouth. Below the commode, favorites of the King were picking leftovers and wastes from the king’s bounty. He spent six months in prison. After Daumier’s release, Aubert and his son-in-law had started another monthly magazine called L’Assocaition mensuelle lithographique. Daumier was unrelenting to create caricatures for this magazine as well as La Caricature and Le Charivari. It was from his piece for L’association mensuelle where most of his popular masterpieces can be found. One of these masterpieces is the lithograph called Rue Transonain made in 1834. He had depicted a poor family who were mistakenly shot dead in their home by men from Philippe’s army. Daumier got himself into trouble again. The king tried to confiscate and to destroy all the copies of that magazine issue. The French government later abolished the publication of any caricature that depicted the government. From then, most of Daumier’s caricatures revolved around societal issues. He made caricatures about the development going on in the country such as the trains, steamships and how they increased the gap between the rich and poor. Daumier was fired then by Le Charivari during this period of censorship. After the revolution that saw Louis-Philippe dethroned, Daumier was rehired and began to make political caricatures again. The first president of the republic, Napoleon III was very lenient when it came to freedom of the press. His earlier works reveal the impressionistic style that he used. From his workings since 1848, spectators can see the use of contours that shoe the angle of light. Historians were unaware of this feature of Daumier’s work as they had paid him little concentration. Some of his workings had been discarded when presented to journals saying that his works were too modern. He made paintings of ethics and etiquette. He drew motivation from legends during his period under Alexandre Lenoir. He made chronological pictures on certain occasions with paintings like the Camille Desmoulins and the Emigrants which is one of Napoleon III. Other works remain relevant to this day, like the Lawyers piece. He doubled as a mentor to artists who had taught themselves painting through his art. Two of them were Gill and Boulard. Their works are referred to as ‘faux Daumier’ to mean fake Daumier. This is wrong as they were familiar with Daumier as their teacher ("Brandeis Libraries: Honore Daumier Lithographs"). The most popular work by Daumier is ‘Gargantua,’ the piece that landed him in prison. In this caricature, the King, Louis-Philippe as a well fed and well dressed giant towering over his people. The taxpayers, who are seen to be thin and full of problems, are putting their tax money into bags that are then carried up a ramp into the king’s mouth. The king’s favorites, those in his inner circle, are gathered at hi feet and bottom collecting the treasures that fall to the ground. Documents of great value drop from the king’s commode to the eagerly awaiting then they rush off. This piece appeared in La Caricature on 15th December 1831. In this portrait, we can see his use of curves to show the emotions of the people and the features of all the people present. The piece shows a people languishing in poverty while their king is literally taking all their money to his stomach. In the distance, we can see the figures of buildings such as windmill and a port showing signs of a productive economy. Daumier’s fascination with morals and manners can be seen here. Daumier passed away on February 1879. His workings can still be found in museums today (Lemann, 56). Works Cited "Brandeis Libraries: Honore Daumier Lithographs." Brandeis Libraries: Honore Daumier Lithographs. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. . "The Lancet iPad app: Articles in a new light." Honore Daumier: into the pantheon of artistic renown : The Lancet. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. . Lemann, Bernard. Honore Daumier: The Origins and Evolution of His Art. , 1936. Print Read More