Papa...., viens donc voir ce qui est exposé là-bas!....', from Le Salon de 1857, published in 'Le Charivari'
Original title: Papa...., viens donc voir ce qui est exposé là-bas!....', from Le Salon de 1857, published in "Le Charivari"
kurzbeschreibung
A boy with an outstretched arm points at an object and pulls his father along — that is how Honoré Daumier captured curiosity in front of an exhibit in 1857. The lithograph belongs to the series 'Le Salon de 1857', published in 'Le Charivari'; it is the second of two states.
Description
In the front right stands a small boy in a cap and coat, his arm extended toward something outside the picture. Beside him, a man in a top hat holds a book and smiles. To the left, further back, a woman sits at a table; other figures are suggested. Curtains and pieces of furniture fill the salon-like room. Black and white with dense strokes and graded shadows. Bottom left, the signature 'H.D.'.
Context
On 25 August 1857, the satirical journal 'Le Charivari' published this sheet as part of Daumier's series 'Le Salon de 1857'. The artist regularly lampooned the official Paris art exhibitions. The lithograph exists in two states; this is the second. The series pokes fun at how audiences behave in the exhibition halls.
Impact
Lively and humorous, the contrast between childlike curiosity and bourgeois art appreciation comes across. The precise linework and high-contrast shading give the caricature an almost documentary quality.
Technique
For printing, the drawing was transferred to a stone and lithographed. The sheet measures 26 × 35.8 cm, the image itself 19.3 × 25.1 cm. This process allows fine lines and soft tonal gradations, characteristic of Daumier's satirical printmaking.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)