Ils appellent ça UN GRAIN!..., from Aux Bains de Mer, published in Le Charivari, September 19, 1859
Original title: Ils appellent ça UN GRAIN!..., from Aux Bains de Mer, published in Le Charivari, September 19, 1859
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier published 'Sie nennen das EIN SCHAUER!...' in Le Charivari on 19 September 1859, one plate from his series 'Aux Bains de Mer'. Two figures on a beach brace themselves against heavy rain. The lithograph was printed on newsprint; this is the second of two states.
Description
A person with an umbrella, hat, shirt and trousers stands at the left; at the right a second figure in a long skirt and cap has settled into a chair. Both lean into the downpour, whose strokes are drawn dense and firm, making plain how hard it is coming down. The sea is hinted at behind them. A French caption runs beneath the image, joking about the weather. Everything stays in black and white.
Context
For the satirical journal Le Charivari, Daumier devised 'Aux Bains de Mer', a series that needled seaside behaviour and the holiday habits of Parisian society. This sheet appeared within that run on 19 September 1859. Through such everyday scenes the artist combined irony with quiet criticism.
Impact
The clear layout and the vigorously drawn rain lines raise a laugh straight away. The pair standing up to the storm looks comic, and the accompanying text heightens the effect. The print stays close to life while exaggerating it at the same time.
Technique
The work was made by lithography, a planographic process: the drawing is set down on a limestone with greasy chalk. What is shown here is the second state, printed on newsprint as was usual for Le Charivari. The method allowed both delicate lines and fast runs for satirical journalism.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)