The Conversation

The Conversation is an original lithograph artwork on ivory-colored paper, realized by the French draftsman Paul Gavarni (after, alias Guillaume Sulpice Chevalier Gavarni, 1804-1866) in Paris, 1881, in the collection of Illustrations for "La Mascarade Humaine".

Very good conditions.

The artwork represents a seated man reading a newspaper and a standing woman through deft quick strokes, dynamic and emotional lines, and well-defined hatching. The scene is represented in the most elegant expressive manner.

"La Mascarade Humaine" is a collection of some of the most popular subjects depicted by Gavarni, illustrating life in France in the mid-19th century in a humorous way. This selected collection of Gavarni's prints was published for the first time 15 years after his death. 

Paul Gavarni  (Paris, 1804 – 1866). Gavarni's father, Sulpice Chevalier, was from a family line of coopers from Burgundy. Paul began work as a mechanical worker in a machine factory but he saw that to make any progress in his profession, he had to be able to draw. Accordingly, he took classes in drawing in his spare time in the evenings. He devoted his special attention to architectural and mechanical drawing and worked at land surveying and mapping which led to his obtaining a position with the Government Ordnance Department as a draughtsman.It wasn't until his early thirties that he turned his attention to his proper vocation as an artist.