Image Not Available
for Triste contenance de la Sculpture placée au milieu de la Peinture
Triste contenance de la Sculpture placée au milieu de la Peinture
Creator
Honoré Daumier
(French, 1808 - 1879)
Date1857
Mediumlithograph on newsprint
DimensionsOverall (sight): 27.6 x 20.9 cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of R.W. Finlayson, 1969, Donated by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, 1988
Category
- Prints
Object numberL69.68
ProvenanceThe Salon took place on a yearly basis in Paris and attracted large numbers of people. It was the most important art event for all artists, and for many of them it was their only opportunity to present their artworks to the public. Artists would spend countless hours completing works with the hope of having them displayed in the Salon galleries. As the number of works accepted into the Salon increased over the nineteenth century, fewer pieces received the attention they deserved. In this print, Daumier illustrates the ill-fated reception of a sculpture amidst a room full of paintings. Daumier portrays the sculpture as if it is pounding its fists in displeasure; all the visitors have their backs towards the base of the sculpture and are preoccupied by the paintings on the wall. This humorous image is not only a clever way of showing the misfortune of a single work of art, it is also a commentary on the lack of interest the general public had for sculptures in France at the time.
LocationNot currently on display
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