The Orchestra During the Performance of a Tragedy (L'orchestre pendant qu'on joue une tragédie), from Croquis Musicaux, published in Le Charivari, April 5, 1852
Original title: The Orchestra During the Performance of a Tragedy (L'orchestre pendant qu'on joue une tragédie), from Croquis Musicaux, published in Le Charivari, April 5, 1852
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's 1852 lithograph takes us into a theater where the orchestra is accompanying a tragedy. In the foreground, musicians play and sing, while actors stand on the stage behind them. The print belongs to the series Croquis Musicaux and appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari.
Description
Several musicians with sheet music fill the foreground; one has his mouth wide open, as if singing or playing loudly. On the stage behind, two figures in long robes can be made out—one with arms outstretched, the other leaning forward. Grays and blacks dominate the mostly monochrome image, and the light is evenly distributed. The style feels realistic, with figures clearly outlined.
Context
On April 5, 1852, Daumier published this lithograph in Le Charivari, a Parisian satirical journal. The Croquis Musicaux series poked fun at the musical life and theater culture of the 19th century. Showing the orchestra during a tragedy points to the performance practice of the time: musicians sat in the orchestra pit.
Impact
An almost ironic tension arises between the drama on stage and the routine daily life of the musicians. The monochrome approach and realistic rendering give the print a documentary quality and draw the viewer into the atmosphere of the theater.
Technique
Daumier chose lithography, a planographic printing process that allows fine gradations and detailed lines. It was printed on paper; the sheet measures 36 × 25.5 cm, the image 26.1 × 21.7 cm. The even gray tones are typical of the tonal range of lithography from that period.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)