“- Well, are you finally finished?... after all it's tiring to relax for such a long time,” plate 1 from Les Artistes A La Campagne
Medium
Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 23 × 20 cm (9 1/16 × 7 7/8 in.); Sheet: 36.2 × 27.3 cm (14 5/16 × 10 3/4 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80037
Art Historical Context
In 1865, French satirical master Honoré Daumier captured the absurdities of artistic life in *“- Well, are finally finished?... after all it's tiring to relax for such a long time,”* the first plate from his series *Les Artistes à Campagne* (Artists in the Country). Daumier (1808–1879), a prolific lithographer and caricaturist, produced over4,000 prints skewering the pretensions of Parisian society during the Second Empire. This humorously depicts a countryside scene where a weary model—likely posing idly—chides a leisurely artist, flipping the stereotype of the tormented genius on its head. ...
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...