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The Past. The Present. The Future (Le passé. Le présent. L'avenir), from La Caricature, plate 349

Original title: The Past. The Present. The Future (Le passé. Le présent. L'avenir), from La Caricature, plate 349

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

January 9, 1834

Medium

Lithograph

Dimensions

Image: 9 7/8 × 7 15/16 in. (25.1 × 20.2 cm) Sheet: 14 in. × 10 11/16 in. (35.6 × 27.1 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, titled Die Vergangenheit. Die Gegenwart. Die Zukunft, in 1834. It presents a caricatured figure in a state of despair and appeared as plate 349 in the satirical journal La Caricature on 9 January 1834.

Description

An exaggerated face fills the picture, framed by a shirt and tie. The distorted, horrified expression dominates the view. Grays and diffuse light model the contours of the face; the caricatural style relies on expressive overstatement.

Context

This print was created for the Parisian satirical journal La Caricature in the 1830s as part of a series that denounced the political and social abuses of the July Monarchy. The date of January 1834 falls within a period of political turmoil and censorship that shaped Daumier's work.

Impact

The exaggerated features and restless layout trigger an immediate emotional response. The expressive face holds the viewer's attention and prompts reflection on the implied subject.

Technique

As a lithograph, the image was drawn on limestone. Daumier used the process to achieve fine lines and shading that heighten the caricature's expressive power. The image area measures about 25 × 20 cm; the print was produced at the journal's press.

AI-generated description text

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