The Troubadour 1868–73

Description

The Troubadour by Honoré Daumier shows a musician tilting his head back as if singing, holding a rounded stringed instrument across his body. Painted in 1868–73, the figure’s loose white shirt and dark trousers stand against a muted setting of trees and sky. Broad, expressive brushwork gives his body considerable weight, while the lifted face suggests a sound that extends beyond the visible scene.

The troubadour was associated with medieval poetry, travel and courtly love, a subject that appealed to nineteenth-century artists interested in the distant past. Daumier gives that theme a vigorous physical presence rather than an elaborate historical costume display. The form is simplified without becoming slight, and the instrument helps connect the arms and torso into one concentrated gesture. The painting’s energy comes from this union of bodily structure and the suggestion of a sustained musical phrase.

Read our guide to giclée prints, browse more Honoré Daumier prints, or discover another side of his work in Les Gens de Justice.