Toute entière à l'étude de son rôle d'opérette..., from "Les Comediens de Société"
Original title: Toute entière à l'étude de son rôle d'opérette..., from "Les Comediens de Société"
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike related sheets from Daumier's theatrical caricatures, this 1858 lithograph, 'Toute entière à l'étude de son rôle d'opérette...', relies entirely on the contrast between exalted pose and domestic disorder: a woman declaims with her mouth wide open while a child lies on the floor. The print belongs to the series 'Les Comédiens de Société' and was printed as a lithograph on newsprint.
Description
A woman in a long dress stands with raised arms, her mouth open wide as if letting out a scream; her expression seems exaggeratedly horrified, which underlines the caricatural edge of the motif. At her feet lies a child in a restless posture, seemingly crying or screaming, yet the woman pays no attention. A table and overturned chairs suggest the sparse furnishings and heighten the sense of confusion. The lithograph remains monochrome in shades of gray, with even light and no strong shadows.
Context
Daumier drew this lithograph for the series 'Les Comédiens de Société', which satirically targets the bourgeoisie and its social role-playing; it appeared on 8 May 1858 in the French satirical magazine 'Le Charivari', for which he worked regularly. The series mocks the self-staging and exaggerated theater that Second Empire society performed in everyday life.
Impact
The woman's overblown facial expression and gestures are comic, yet the ignored child gives the scene a disturbing undertone. Thus the sheet remains both amusing and critical, exposing the absurdity of self-absorption. The spare arrangement directs the eye straight to the figures and reinforces the scene's message.
Technique
Daumier used lithography, a widely used printing process at the time that allows fine gradations of gray. The sheet was printed on newsprint, as was customary for mass production in magazines. The present version is the second state of two known states (Delteil).
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)