← Honoré Daumier

Qu-est-ce qui disent donc les autres..., from En Chine, published in Le Charivari, December 20, 1858

Original title: Qu-est-ce qui disent donc les autres..., from En Chine, published in Le Charivari, December 20, 1858

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

December 20, 1858

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Sheet: 14 3/8 × 11 5/8 in. (36.5 × 29.5 cm) Image: 8 5/8 × 10 7/8 in. (21.9 × 27.7 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1960

kurzbeschreibung

A caricatured figure perches on a rock, dangling a snakelike line into the water where a second figure drifts below — this is Honoré Daumier's 1858 satire 'Was sagen die anderen dazu...' (What do the others say to that...). The print belongs to the series 'En Chine' and appeared in the newspaper Le Charivari.

Description

Your eye is pulled first to the figure on the rock, whose outstretched arm holds a long, curved pole or line that reaches down to the water's surface. There, a second body floats, connected by a rope or chain. Thin vertical strokes at the edge of the image suggest bamboo poles, giving the view an Asian flavor. Black and white, clear contours, hard contrasts — as was typical for lithographs of those years. A line of text at the bottom carries the punchline of the caricature.

Context

Daumier drew this sheet for the series 'En Chine', which he made for Le Charivari — the satirical newspaper that ran from 1832 to 1937. Publication fell on December 20, 1858, in the midst of the Second Opium War, which France and Britain were waging against China. At its heart lies the European perception of China, shot through with clichés and exotic notions. Within Daumier's political and social caricatures, the series counts among the works with particularly sharp irony.

Impact

At first the exaggerated proportion and absurd situation amuse the viewer — the figures seem to be in a farcical play. At the same time, the drawing of the foreign as exotic and strange creates a distance that accompanies the smile. Therein lies the critical edge: European prejudices about China are laid bare, and a reflective tone mixes with the laughter.

Technique

The sheet is a lithograph: the drawing was made with greasy chalk on a limestone. It was printed on newsprint, and this is the second state of two, as recorded by Delteil. The process allowed fine lines and shading and was suited to the rapid production of newspaper illustrations.

AI-generated description text

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