← Honoré Daumier

Un Directeur de n'Importe quel Théâtre, from "Croquis d'Été"

Original title: Un Directeur de n'Importe quel Théâtre, from "Croquis d'Été"

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

August 25, 1856

Medium

Lithograph; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Sheet: 9 3/4 × 14 1/2 in. (24.8 × 36.8 cm) Image: 8 in. × 10 3/16 in. (20.3 × 25.8 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1936

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Un Directeur de n'Importe quel Théâtre' dates from August 25, 1856 and belongs to the 'Croquis d'Été' series. It depicts a theater director in an interior, casting a worried look outside. The print is in the second of two states (Delteil).

Description

A gentleman in a suit and trousers stands in the foreground; one hand points outside, the other clutches an object. His face shows concern as he looks through a window at a group of people wearing hats, suggesting a festive mood. A thermometer on the wall draws the director's attention. Black and white dominate the image, with clear contours and graded shading bringing out the structure of wall and floor.

Context

This lithograph appeared in August 1856 in the series 'Croquis d'Été' in the satirical journal 'Le Charivari'. The caricature targets the summer heat that plagued theater performances and mocks the directors' powerlessness against the weather. The accompanying text 'Gredin de thermomètre... il montera donc toujours!' ('Scoundrel of a thermometer... so it will always rise!') sums up the complaint about the persistent heat. Daumier, known for his social criticism, here aimed at the theater's dependence on audience taste and the whims of nature.

Impact

The print is comic through the director's exaggerated despair, which contrasts with the festive crowd in the background. Precise linework and expressive facial features give the image an immediate, almost caricature-like presence that invites a smile.

Technique

Daumier used lithography, a common printing process of the time that allows fine shading and contours. The print survives in its second state, indicating that the printing plate was reworked. Sharp lines and detailed shading demonstrate Daumier's skill in rendering surface textures and facial expressions.

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