Je suis reçu!!..., from L'Exposition de 1859, published in Le Charivari, April 22, 1859
Original title: Je suis reçu!!..., from L'Exposition de 1859, published in Le Charivari, April 22, 1859
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Je suis reçu!!...' (I'm accepted!!...) from 1859 presents two men in conversation on an open street. It belongs to the series 'L'Exposition de 1859' and appeared on 22 April 1859 in the satirical magazine Le Charivari. The sheet is in black and white and measures 27.2 × 36.1 cm.
Description
Two figures stand in the foreground, talking. On the left, a man in an elegant top hat, jacket, and trousers; on the right, his counterpart wears a broader hat, a long-sleeved jacket, and a scarf around his neck. The man on the right holds a paper in his hand and seems to be reading from it. Behind them, other people move in their direction, framed by a street that ends at a wall.
Context
The occasion was the Paris Salon of 1859, one of France's major art exhibitions. Daumier published the print in Le Charivari, a paper known for its biting caricatures. The title 'Je suis reçu!!...' (I'm accepted!!...) pokes fun at the admission of works to the Salon, a subject that preoccupied artists and the public alike. The lithograph survives in the second state according to Delteil.
Impact
Clearly structured and with a sparse background, the print draws the eye to the pair in the foreground. Delicately placed strokes give richness of texture to the clothing and faces and focus attention on the conversation and the paper in hand. What at first appears to be a quiet everyday scene takes on an ironic undertone through the satirical title.
Technique
The sheet was printed lithographically: drawn with greasy chalk on the stone, the design could then be reproduced. Daumier used delicate strokes to bring out the texture of the clothing and the features of the faces. The second state is the one handed down, suggesting later interventions or corrections to the printing plate.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)