Honore
Daumier

The heroes of the revolutionary events are often not only those who stand on the barricades, but those who are armed with a pen, brush or pencil. On the background of major political upheavals of fame and recognition achieved by many artists, poets and musicians. Such a fate awaited Honoré Daumier one of the greatest cartoonists of the nineteenth century.

He was born in Marseille, in the South-East of France, in the family of a glazier. When the future artist Daumier was eight, his family moved to Paris. Many temptations surrounded by curious and restless boy, so the father decided to teach him the family trade.

The glazier Honore did not — neither the interest nor the talent for this occupation. Daumier Sr. managed an acquaintance to attach the son to the office of a lawyer as a messenger. Quickly cope with the job, the boy ran to the bookstore and looked at there art reproductions of the greatest painters of Italy. Then the future of the cartoonist, sculptor and painter, Daumier began to manifest a talent: he skillfully drew caricatures of his friends and acquaintances.
At the age of 14 years, Honore began to study painting. Later, in 1828, the Parisian master Ramel taught him the technique of lithography. Having mastered the skill of the lithographer, the young man made his first serious money.

At this time in France, the role of press in development of political satire was very high: this contributed to the revolution of 1830. For paintings of Honore Daumier, his illustrations for magazines and cartoons mostly characterized by a pronounced political character. The work was placed in the famous satirical edition of the "Karikatur and Charivari": lithographs by honoré depicting many famous cultural figures and politicians, was a huge success.

Ridiculed in one of the works of king Louis-Philippe, the artist Daumier was even in jail and held there for six months. However, the penalty and fine did not break it: upon his release, he stayed true to his convictions and continued to defend Republican ideas. In his works Onore skillfully denounced the venality, hypocrisy and vanity of the bourgeoisie and exposed the false morality of society. His Goodies were representatives of the working class: simple workers, servants, artisans and those who participated in the barricade fighting.

Paintings of Honore Daumier: from graphics to painting

Graphics made the artist famous: he clearly possessed the pencil and the technique of lithography. According to contemporaries, visual memory Daumier was striking: he hurriedly grabbed the facial expressions, gestures and postures, remembering the essence of the image.

In the paintings of honoré Daumier, even in graphics and prints, there is a sense of color. He expertly portrayed the finest smooth transitions from jet black to silver gray, passed svetovozdushnoy environment and especially the lighting. "His picture in the nature colorful" — so wrote about master Charles Baudelaire.
Treatment to painting naturally to Daumier as an artist. After 1848 honoré goes from a favorite genre of sarcastic merciless caricatures to a more relaxed, filled with compassion, love and respect for ordinary people's paintings. Unlike graphics, where the characters work was often sharply negative characters, painting, Daumier devoted workers. He portrays them in an everyday way: on the streets, during a short rest, on the quays and in the workshops. The painter observes the ordinary people, empathising with their plight, just noticing the characteristic gestures, postures and features of the environment.

The cycle of "Laundress" paintings "In the carriage of the 3rd class", "dealer plates", "Family on the barricade" written by honoré Daumier in the spirit of realism with great sympathy and understanding. Painting his emotionally eventful and monumental. This contributes a favorite technique of the artist: the constant use of light. Broad, free brushstrokes of the painter also adds to the dynamism and expressiveness of the images in his paintings. Excellent knowledge of color and special writing technique may call Daumier was one of the first Impressionists.

Unfortunately, as a painter honoré became famous after his death. Despite the support of his friends, in particular Jean-Baptiste Corot, he died in poverty and oblivion, almost being blind at the end of life.