“- Dire pourtant que mes dahlias continuent encore cette année à être du ponceau le plus vif . . . . malgré tous mes soins, je ne pourrai donc jamais parvenir à leur donner la nuance Boue de Paris !...,” plate 6 from Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 25.5 × 21.5 cm (10 1/16 × 8 1/2 in.); Sheet: 33 × 25 cm (13 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
76393
Art Historical Context
In 1847, Honoré Daumier, the master of French caricature, captured the absurd pretensions of bourgeois life in this lithograph, plate 6 from his series *Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra* ("Whatever You Want"). witty title—"Yet say that my dahlias this year to be the vivid scarlet... despite all my cares, I therefore never succeed in giving the nuance of Paris Mud!"—mocks a garden enthusiast's futile quest for the trendy, muddy brown hue of urban Paris streets over vibrant reds. Daumier's sharp social satire thrived during the July Monarchy, skewering the era's class anxieties and fashionable vanities thro...
About the Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier · 1808–1879
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (1808-1879) was a prolific French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor whose works offered incisive commentary on the social and political life of 19th-century France. Known as the 'Michelangelo of Caricature,' Daumier produced over 4,000 lithographs, 500 paintings, 1,000 drawings, and 100 sculptures during his lifetime. His biting political satire led to his imp...