Une reine se préparant a une grande tirade, from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, September 24, 1856
Original title: Une reine se préparant a une grande tirade, from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, September 24, 1856
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many theatre caricatures of its day, this print by Honoré Daumier focuses on the moment before the performance: a queen prepares herself on the open stage for a grand speech. It belongs to the series Croquis Dramatiques, published in 1856 in the satirical paper Le Charivari. This is the second state of two (Delteil).
Description
At the front right, a queen in a long dark robe stands holding a microphone and studying herself in a mirror; beside her a man in dark clothing listens. Behind the two, an audience can be made out, watching the stage attentively. The layout is asymmetrical, with the two figures in the foreground and the spectators behind them. Strong light-and-dark contrasts and shading lend the view a dramatic quality.
Context
For the satirical journal Le Charivari, Daumier drew the series Croquis Dramatiques, in which he took aim at the theatre business and acting. The print appeared on 24 September 1856 and presents a typical stage situation that the artist often used to mock social vanity. That a queen readies herself for her entrance points to the theatre culture of the time and to the way actors staged themselves.
Impact
Through the harsh contrasts of light and dark and the concentrated arrangement, the print immediately builds dramatic tension. The queen's posture and her companion's gaze capture the instant before the performance and create a charged atmosphere. Daumier's line gives the scene a lively, almost caricatural presence.
Technique
For this lithograph, Daumier drew with chalk on the stone and then printed it. Fine lines and graduated shading are characteristic of the process. The sheet measures 25.8 × 36 cm, the image area 20.3 × 25.7 cm; it is printed in black and white.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)