Deux hommes

Honoré Daumier (1808-79) was a famous illustrator and satirist of the nineteenth century known for his anti-monarchist stance. He was imprisoned for six months in 1831 for the offence of caricaturing King Louis-Philippe. On the occassions where the King censored the press Daumier turned to everyday subjects and bourgeois society for his inspiration. Here is a study of two men in conversation, one sitting, one leaning on a mound. The vigorous line is typical of his work and the simplicity of line is credit to his fine observational skills and his humanity for the subject.