Les moucherons politiques
1850
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Dr. Armand Hammer)
Accession Number
2015.143.1064
Art Historical Context
**Les moucherons politiques (The Political Gnats)**, a sharp lithograph by Honoré Daumier from 1850, captures the biting satire for which the artist is renowned. Created during the turbulent Second French Republic, amid the political chaos following the 1848 Revolution, Daumier depicts scheming politicians as pesky gnats swarming around a hapless figure—likely symbolizing the public or a naive voter. This work exemplifies Daumier's mastery of caricature within the Realism movement, using exaggerated features and dynamic compositions to skewer corruption and opportunism in French politics under...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier · 1810–1879
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...