When I first came upon these images I was struck by how small they were. The Preening Peacock is only 18x15. But it was the mocking nature of the subjects that really got me wondering. As is said above - during most of history (even now in some parts of the world - I recall some recent cartoon figures) you could easily loose your head having authored these images.
Could these be the precursors to the painting of the virgin Mary that caused such a commotion a few years back. It's hard to imagine a further decline from there.
It's easy to get involved in the narrative, but putting the politics aside they are some stunning images.
Here are a couple more from Jihan Georges Vibert. Notice how much volume is given above the subjects in each of these paintings:
1- Tea for the Bishop 24x18
2- The Sick Doctor 1892
There are some nice large images of his work on the ARC web site here:
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=134
The Fortune Teller, which doesn't come across very well here, is particularly worth the visit.
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