← Honoré Daumier Honoré Daumier — Ce qui nous prouve comme quoi il est... inutile..., from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, May 23, 1857 (May 23, 1857, Met-Objekt 3065)

Honoré Daumier — Ce qui nous prouve comme quoi il est... inutile..., from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, May 23, 1857 (May 23, 1857, Met-Objekt 3065)

Ce qui nous prouve comme quoi il est... inutile..., from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, May 23, 1857 (May 23, 1857, Met-Objekt 3065)

Original title: Ce qui nous prouve comme quoi il est... inutile..., from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, May 23, 1857

Artist: Honoré Daumier
Date: May 23, 1857
Medium: Lithograph; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions: Sheet: 10 in. × 14 3/16 in. (25.4 × 36 cm) Image: 7 1/2 × 10 1/2 in. (19.1 × 26.7 cm)
Credit line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Dated 23 May 1857, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier belongs to the series Croquis Dramatiques, published in the journal Le Charivari. The sheet gathers a crowd of people in an interior, most likely a theatre, and records the dress typical of the 1850s.

Description

The space reads as a theatre or meeting hall, and several figures crowd into it. Up front, some have taken seats on benches; others stand behind them or move about. All are dressed in the fashions of the 1850s. The arrangement feels busy: seated and standing figures intermingle, and glances and gestures head in different directions. The print stays black and white, the light falls evenly, and the style is realistic, attentive to detail and expression.

Context

Daumier made the Croquis Dramatiques for the satirical paper Le Charivari, where his caricatures appeared regularly. The print was produced during the Second Empire under Napoleon III, when press censorship was strictly enforced. Daumier often turned to theatre and opera scenes to comment on social and political failings. The title hints at an ironic or critical point that becomes legible against the social circumstances of the day.

Impact

Lively and rich in detail, the scene comes forward, and the figures seem naturally bound to one another. The even lighting and realistic style lend the image something documentary. Looking at the sheet, a viewer is drawn into the action and can follow the social dynamic of the room.

Technique

The work was executed as a lithograph, drawn with greasy chalk on a stone and then printed. It is the second state of two (Delteil). This process allows fine lines and shading, which Daumier used for precise studies of character.

AI-generated description text

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