Honore Daumier's "The Uprising" (1860)

Daumier was a prolific printmaker and caricaturist, but is also recognized for his dramatic paintings of the third class. His resentment for the upper classes, which exploited the working and lower classes, served as his primary motive for painting, and compelled him to reflect this in clever caricatures. By seeking a social reform through “social justice” (an early socialist ideal which sought to make all classes of society equal in both economy and politics), his artistic endeavors were explained (Adhemar). He aimed to truthfully present the lives of peasant workers, and accurately depict their struggles in his paintings. Daumier, however, unlike Gustave Courbet, who lived at the same time, was an avid supporter of the naturalist movement, which aimed to depict realistic things in its natural environment, or setting. Traces of this style are evident in this scene; the scene itself is not sharply painted; instead it is more abstract and blurred, which highlights the movement of the man in the center. Second, it portrays workers coalescing and creating a riot, perhaps against undesirable working conditions of factories that they were employed in during the 19th century. This is historically accurate according to Daumier’s time when workers were beginning to form “labor unions”, or strikes by workers who advocated against factory owners’ unfair exploitation of their workers (“Industrial Revolution”).      

                    The workers in this painting shout for change in their lifestyles; they represent the attitude of the working class during the first phase of the Industrial Revolution. The people are the byproducts of the rapid industrialization of Europe; they are agitated and wish for reform. The need for this reform is strongly represented in Daumier’s works, who tries to make a political statement to advocate for equality in all classes of society. We can infer that the people portrayed are members of the working class by observing their plain clothing. The aggravation of the working class is translated by the fist-waving motion of the man in the center who is the main focus of the painting; this is because he is the most detailed figure in the painting, is centralized, covers the most space in the painting, and also wears bright-colored clothes that easily allow viewers to focus on the man. Given his unique style of painting, Honore Daumier helped to “introduce impressionism into modern art” (Adhemar).

Adhemar, Jean. "Honore Daumier." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.   <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/152400/Honore-Daumier>.

"Industrial Revolution." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/287086/Industrial-Revolution>.