Le supplice de tantale... eau comprise 1870

This lithograph by Honoré Daumier, created in 1870, depicts a soldier standing in the rain, his head bowed, his back hunched. The title, "Le supplice de Tantal... eau comprise," links the soldier's plight to the Greek myth of Tantalus, who was condemned to stand in a pool of water forever, unable to quench his thirst. The image highlights the harsh realities of war, using the myth of Tantalus as a powerful symbol of the soldier's suffering, a theme Daumier explored extensively in his work.