"The Hunt" from The Complete Works of Béranger 1836

"The Hunt", a print from The Complete Works of Béranger, was made by J.J. Grandville, sometime before his death in 1847. In it, a man in hunting garb and his dog confront a woman who stands arranging items on a table. Grandville was a celebrated caricaturist working in France in a period of immense social and political change. It was a time when printed images were widely circulated in newspapers and books, playing a crucial role in public discourse. Although he's not as well-known today, his work had a profound influence on later artists, especially the Surrealists. His works are full of satire and social commentary. The artist's choice of subject matter reflects the cultural and social changes of the 19th century, when the aristocracy and their habits were frequent targets of social criticism. Delving into the prints and publications of the time, we can more deeply appreciate art as a reflection of its cultural and institutional contexts.