La mère de l'amour
Original title: La mère de l'amour...., from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, January 20, 1857
kurzbeschreibung
On January 20, 1857, Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'La mère de l'amour' appeared in Le Charivari as part of the 'Croquis Dramatiques' series. A woman in a flower-adorned dress stands on a pedestal, using a stick or arrow to direct another figure.
Description
A woman in a richly decorated, flower-trimmed dress stands elevated on a platform. Before her, a second figure is seen from behind, guided by the woman's stick or arrow. Behind the two, an audience sits in a theater or auditorium. The layout feels asymmetrical, with light falling from the front emphasizing contours and shadows. The print remains in black and white.
Context
Daumier published this sheet on January 20, 1857, in the satirical magazine Le Charivari, for which he regularly drew socially critical caricatures. It belongs to the series 'Croquis Dramatiques,' which takes up theatrical and stage motifs. According to the Delteil catalogue raisonné, it is the second of two states. The image measures 20.6 × 26.8 cm.
Impact
The high-contrast lighting and the animated arrangement of the figures create dramatic tension in the print. Through the woman's elevated position and her directing gesture, the scene acquires an ironic, almost theatrical authority typical of Daumier's satirical vision.
Technique
Executed as a lithograph in the second state of two, indicating reworking of the stone. The process allows for fine lines and graded gray tones, used for the detailed rendering of fabrics and facial features. The sheet is printed on paper measuring 26.3 × 36 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)