The Uprising is a painting by Honore Daumier, created around 1860. The artwork depicts the poverty and desperation experienced by the people of Paris during the revolution of 1848. Daumier’s style in creating The Uprising was influenced by Romantic artists such as Delacroix and Gericault, and it is regarded as one of his greatest works.
Daumier, a prolific printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor used his skills to ridicule French government and society in his art. He had an evident resentment towards the upper classes which served as his primary motivation for painting, this was reflected in his clever caricatures.
In creating The Uprising, Daumier’s manipulation of compositional and pictorial elements expressed the fervor of revolution. His use of bold lines combined with contrasting light and dark areas gives rise to the expressive power that forms the nucleus of this artwork.
Daumier is also known for his sculpture work that displays light-catching volumes in three-dimensional space. It is possible that he might have been inspired by the 1848 Revolution when he created The Uprising since it happened during that period when Louis-Philippe’s monarchy was overthrown.
