← Honoré Daumier

Ma femme..., comme nous n'aurions pas le temps de tout voir en un jour..., from L'Exposition de 1859, published in Le Charivari, April 18, 1859

Original title: Ma femme..., comme nous n'aurions pas le temps de tout voir en un jour..., from L'Exposition de 1859, published in Le Charivari, April 18, 1859

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

April 18, 1859

Medium

Lithograph; second state (Delteil)

Dimensions

Sheet: 10 1/2 × 14 1/16 in. (26.7 × 35.7 cm) Image: 8 5/8 × 10 1/2 in. (21.9 × 26.6 cm)

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in April 1859 as one of his contributions to a series on that year's Paris Salon. Published on 18 April in the satirical journal Le Charivari, the print offers a humorous look at a scene in the exhibition rooms.

Description

Several people move through a gallery, each striking out in a different direction. Paintings hang on the wall. The figures wear the clothing of the 1850s, with hats and jackets. Black and white and without shading, the image stays monumentally flat; an even light falls across the scene. The caricatural, cheerful style is reinforced by the caption.

Context

This sheet was made for Le Charivari, where Daumier regularly took aim at social conditions. It refers to the Salon of 1859, the great art exhibition at the Palais des Champs-Élysées. The series of prints to which the lithograph belongs observes the public and its dealings with art in the nineteenth century.

Impact

The exaggerated figures and the restless layout give the sheet liveliness and draw the viewer in. The caricature invites a smile while also carrying a critical view of the art world of the time.

Technique

Lithography: the drawing is made with greasy chalk on the stone from which the print is taken. This is the second state (Delteil), meaning a reworked printing plate. The process allows fine lines and an even distribution of tones.

AI-generated description text

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