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| Honoré Daumier Man Reading in a Garden mid-19th century Metropolitan Musseum (gift of Louisine Havemeyer) |
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| Honoré Daumier The Print Collector c. 1860 Philadelphia Museum of Art |
As a child, I developed a dislike of Honoré Daumier. In the art books I found at the public library Daumier was always represented by harsh black-and-white caricatures – mostly of courtroom scenes. Satirical sketches of 19th-century French courtrooms were not appealing to the uneducated, beauty-loving child that I was. Later I discovered a more intimate and reflective Daumier. Without bothering to determine any facts, I have preferred to think that he only did the caricatures to pay the rent.
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| Honoré Daumier The Connoisseur c. 1860-65 Metropolitan Museum (gift of Louisine Havemeyer) |
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| Honoré Daumier Two Sculptors 19th century Phillips Collection |
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| Honoré Daumier The Studio c. 1870 Getty |
The Getty's commentary on the Daumier painting immediately above is intriguing enough to be quoted here –
"Known for his satirical, touching portrayals of contemporary life, Honoré Daumier changed direction temporarily after seeing a newly hung collection of paintings by Jean-Honoré Fragonard in the Musée du Louvre in 1869.
Struck by the expressive power of Fragonard's rapid brushstroke, Daumier paid homage to his predecessor in a series of paintings that included The Studio. Daumier, who almost never portrayed beautiful women as objects of attraction, succumbed to Fragonard's sensuality and endowed this model with the upswept hair and casual off-the-shoulder costume of Fragonard's females. Emulating Fragonard's manner of sketching on canvas, Daumier made her dress shimmer, drawing with his brush to build the lights cascading from her blouse onto her full skirt.
Aside from touches of gestural brushwork on the man's sleeve, the model's hair, and the woman's brilliantly illuminated skin and dress, this painting's darker
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| Honoré Daumier Two Lawyers Conversing c. 1860 Morgan Library |
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| Honoré Daumier Waiting at a Station 1865-66 Victoria & Albert Museum |
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| Honoré Daumier .Laundress at Quai Anjou c. 1860 Allbright-Knox Gallery |
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| Honoré Daumier Bathing of Children 19th century Private Collection |
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| Honoré Daumier Saltimbanques c. 1866-67 Victoria & Albert Museum |