Après l'eau, le feu, from Croquis d'Été, published in Le Charivari, July 9, 1858
Original title: Après l'eau, le feu, from Croquis d'Été, published in Le Charivari, July 9, 1858
kurzbeschreibung
On 9 July 1858, Le Charivari published Honoré Daumier's lithograph "Après l'eau, le feu," part of the series Croquis d'Été. It presents two figures in a bathing or steam room, turned toward one another. The sheet measures 26.4 × 35.8 cm and survives as the second state of two.
Description
Up front, two barefoot men meet: on the left a stout gentleman in short trunks, on the right a gaunt, lanky figure. They come close to touching, as if about to kiss, and that is exactly where the comic tension lies. Behind them, other bathers splash about at a pool. The tone stays light and ironic, typical of Daumier's eye for society.
Context
This sheet belongs to the Croquis d'Été series that Daumier supplied to Le Charivari in the summer of 1858. It takes aim at the bathing culture of the warm season and plays on the physical contrasts it brings into view. The artist worked regularly for the satirical paper and liked to pick up scenes from bourgeois daily life. The series circles around the pleasures and follies of summer living.
Impact
Extreme bulk meets extreme thinness, producing a comic, almost grotesque appeal. The closeness of the two figures feels at once absurd and touching. One smiles at the print without losing its critical edge.
Technique
The image was printed as a lithograph, a standard process for satirical sheets of the period. Working with chalk on the stone, Daumier achieved delicate lines and shading. The present version is the second state, which points to later reworking or corrections.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)