← Honoré Daumier

A Day When You Do Not Pay–Twenty-Five-Degree Heat (Un jour ou l'on ne paye pas. Vingt-cinq degres de chaleur)

Original title: A Day When You Do Not Pay–Twenty-Five-Degree Heat (Un jour ou l'on ne paye pas. Vingt-cinq degres de chaleur ), from Le Public du Salon, published in Le Charivari, May 17, 1852

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

May 17, 1852

Medium

Lithograph; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Sheet: 13 13/16 × 9 7/16 in. (35.1 × 24 cm) Image: 9 5/8 x 8 1/2 in. (24.5 x 21.6 cm)

Credit line

A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 1980

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in 1852. It captures a tightly packed crowd in an exhibition room, evidently a scene from the Paris Salon. The print belongs to the series 'Le Public du Salon' and was published on 17 May 1852 in the satirical journal 'Le Charivari'. This is the second state of the print.

Description

Figures stand shoulder to shoulder, overlapping and looking in every direction. Their faces register surprise, confusion, and unease. Some wear hats or caps, others appear in traditional dress. The lithograph stays in shades of gray; light falls evenly, with no noticeable shadows. The caricatural style thrives on exaggerated expressions and rich detail in the rendering of the people.

Context

Daumier created the series 'Le Public du Salon' for the satirical journal 'Le Charivari', to which he regularly contributed political and social caricatures. The title refers to a special rule: on particularly hot days, admission to the Salon was free, leading to a crush of visitors. The print appeared on 17 May 1852, when the Paris Salon was held at the Palais Royal. With this series, Daumier captured the behavior of the bourgeois public at the exhibition.

Impact

The close staggering of figures and the exaggerated facial expressions make the print immediately lively and humorous. The even gray tones and delicate lines produce a calm yet detailed surface that holds the viewer's gaze. The viewer becomes an observer of an amusing social scene that combines criticism and comedy.

Technique

The work was printed as a lithograph in black on paper. The delicate lines and shading correspond to the technique of drawing with greasy chalk on a stone and then printing. The second state is present, meaning that changes were made after the first printing.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)