Le Gens de Justice, Plate 21, "Voila le ministere public qui vous dit des choses tres desagreeables"
Original title: Le Gens de Justice, Plate 21, "Voila le ministere public qui vous dit des choses tres desagreeables"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in August 1846. A courtroom unfolds before us: a judge or public prosecutor in a dark suit and hat reads aloud from a document, while a man in a checked shirt stands beside him. The sheet belongs to the series Les Gens de Justice.
Description
A man in a dark suit and hat dominates the foreground, standing at a table and reading from a document. At his side stands a second man in a checked shirt, watching him closely. Behind the pair, further figures are arranged, observing what happens. The lithograph stays within greys and blacks; the light falls evenly, with no strong shadows. Faces and gestures are worked out in detail.
Context
Les Gens de Justice was produced in the 1840s and takes a critical look at the French justice system. This sheet appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari on 24 August 1846. Daumier used the paper as a platform to attack social abuses and the arrogance of the courts.
Impact
The realistic drawing of the figures and the direct eye contact give the scene an immediate, insistent presence. The restrained colour heightens the serious, almost threatening mood. The viewer becomes a witness to a tense encounter in which the power relations of the courtroom come into view.
Technique
The print was made by lithography: a fatty chalk drawing is set down on the stone, then printed. Fine hatching and clear contours give the figures volume. As part of a series, the sheet was produced in a large edition for the journal.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)