Rue Transnonain, le 15 Avril, 1834, Plate 24 of l'Association mensuelle
Original title: Rue Transnonain, le 15 Avril, 1834, Plate 24 of l'Association mensuelle
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many contemporary images of unrest, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier, dated July 1834, does not show fighting crowds but the stillness afterward: a nighttime scene in a dark room where a wounded man lies on the floor, a similarly injured child beside him, and further figures lying on the ground in the background. The work belongs to the series 'Association mensuelle' and records a historical event.
Description
A man stretches out flat on the floor in the foreground, his face expressing exhaustion or pain; next to him lies a motionless child. More figures on the ground can be made out further back, suggesting a violent situation. The room is dark, with weak light falling through an opening in the background. The layout is asymmetrical and draws the eye to the suffering man. The gray tones of the lithograph reinforce the gloomy atmosphere.
Context
This print was created in response to the bloody suppression of a workers' uprising in Paris on 15 April 1834: soldiers had entered a house on Rue Transnonain and killed its inhabitants. Daumier published it in 1834 in the satirical journal 'Association mensuelle'. The censors confiscated the lithograph and suppressed its publication. It is regarded as one of the earliest examples of political art that directly documents a current event.
Impact
Realistic attention to detail and dramatic lighting make the print immediate and shocking. The quiet, almost lifeless arrangement creates an oppressive mood that makes the horror of the event palpable. Through the unvarnished depiction of suffering, the viewer is directly confronted.
Technique
Lithography, a printing process based on the repulsion of grease and water, allowed Daumier fine gradations of shading and realistic details that emphasize the drama of the scene. With a sheet size of about 36 x 55 cm, the process permits a detailed rendering that underlines the gravity of the subject.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)