Le danseur qui se pique d'avoir conservé les belles traditions de VESTRIS
Original title: Le danseur qui se pique d'avoir conservé..., from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, January 23, 1857
kurzbeschreibung
This 1857 lithograph by Honoré Daumier presents a ballet scene: a dancer strikes a dramatic pose, surrounded by other dancers, a conductor and an audience. The sheet belongs to the series 'Croquis Dramatiques' and appeared in 'Le Charivari' on 23 January 1857.
Description
A ballerina with outstretched arms and a flower-trimmed skirt tossed upward dominates the image. Other dancers suggest similar movements. At the front left the audience follows the performance, while at the lower right a conductor with baton leads a band. The arrangement feels restless, the figures seem caught mid-action, and the lithograph stays black and white.
Context
The lithograph came out in the satirical newspaper 'Le Charivari' as part of the series 'Croquis Dramatiques', in which Daumier took aim at Parisian theatre and ballet life. The title alludes to the famous dancer Gaétan Vestris, whose traditions were held up as exemplary in nineteenth-century ballet. Daumier, known for his social satire, here took on artists' inflated sense of themselves. The sheet appeared at a time when ballet drew large audiences in Paris and was frequently caricatured.
Impact
The dancer's exaggerated pose and the restless layout give the viewer a humorous, ironic pleasure. Delicate lines and shading lend the scene something lively and sketch-like, heightening the satire.
Technique
The lithograph was printed in the second state of two (Delteil); the delicate lines and shading typical of the technique are clearly visible. The sheet measures 26.6 × 35.7 cm, the image itself 21.7 × 25.5 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)