Cristi! la belle oseille!
Original title: Cristi! la belle oseille!, from "En Chine"
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many sheets from Daumier's China series, this lithograph of December 25, 1858, Cristi! la belle oseille!, turns on a reaction to a plant. Two figures appear: a standing person in a hat, plainly displeased, and a seated figure examining a plant. It is the second state of two (Delteil), printed on newsprint.
Description
The arrangement feels lopsided. On the left an upright figure in a hat stands with a posture suggesting irritation or disappointment. To the right someone sits holding a plant or flower up for inspection. A large, stylised plant dominates the background. The lithograph is monochrome and evenly lit; firm contours and shading separate the figures and the growth clearly from one another and sharpen the ironic edge of the subject.
Context
Daumier made the sheet for his En Chine series, which satirised the period's fascination with China. It appeared in the French press on December 25, 1858, for which Daumier worked regularly. The series reflects European interest in China and the events of the Second Opium War. Though Daumier never visited China, he used lithography for social and political criticism.
Impact
Exaggerated faces and gestures make the caricature immediately funny. The joke grows from the contrast between the disappointed standing figure and the seated one doing the looking. The stylised plant lends the scene something absurd and heightens the humorous tone, so that one cannot help smiling.
Technique
The sheet was printed as a lithograph on newsprint, in the second state of two (Delteil). This process allowed fine lines and shading, used here for the caricatural effect. It measures 11 3/4 × 11 5/8 inches (29.8 × 29.5 cm), the image area 8 7/8 × 10 9/16 inches (22.5 × 26.8 cm).
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)