The Insurrection 1858

Honoré Daumier made this oil painting called ‘The Insurrection’ in nineteenth-century France, though the exact date is unknown. Daumier lived through a period of massive social upheaval in France, with the rise and fall of multiple regimes. The painting depicts a crowd of people rising up in revolt. The central figure, bathed in light, raises his fist in defiance, embodying the spirit of revolution. The image speaks to France’s revolutionary tradition, but it also embodies the spirit of working-class resistance against the perceived injustices of the ruling classes. Daumier was known for his satirical lithographs criticizing the bourgeoisie. His art was deeply engaged with the political and social issues of his time. To fully appreciate the social conditions that shaped Daumier's artistic production, we can look at the archives of French newspapers and political pamphlets, as well as police records documenting his arrests for subversive imagery. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.