Bataille de Cavaliers (Battle of Cavalrymen) 1839 - 1885

Rodolphe Bresdin made this print, Bataille de Cavaliers, using etching and engraving techniques sometime in the mid-19th century. The turbulent scene depicts a clash between cavalrymen, horses rearing amidst a chaos of foliage. Bresdin worked outside of the mainstream Parisian art world and his works often feature unsettling dreamscapes, like this one. He sold his prints directly to a small audience. His fantastical subjects can be read as a form of social critique, a challenge to the values of the rising middle class under the July Monarchy and Second Empire. The tangled lines and almost claustrophobic density of the image could reflect the sense of social and political unease that characterized France during this period. To understand the artistic and social context of Bresdin's prints, historians look to sources like exhibition reviews, sales records, and the writings of contemporary critics and poets. Through this, we can better appreciate the ways that his unique visual language spoke to—and against—the grain of his time.