← Honoré Daumier Honoré Daumier — Absinthe: The first glass, the sixth glass, from 'The Chinese of Paris,' published in Le Charivari, December 22, 1863

Absinthe: The first glass, the sixth glass, from 'The Chinese of Paris,' published in Le Charivari, December 22, 1863

Original title: Absinthe: The first glass, the sixth glass, from 'The Chinese of Paris," published in Le Charivari, December 22, 1863

Artist: Honoré Daumier
Date: December 22, 1863
Medium: Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions: Image: 7 15/16 × 9 9/16 in. (20.1 × 24.3 cm) Sheet: 11 3/8 × 11 3/16 in. (28.9 × 28.4 cm)
Credit line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's 1863 lithograph presents two men in a room drinking absinthe. The print belongs to the series 'Les Chinois de Paris' and appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari. With it, the artist castigates the social consequences of absinthe drinking in nineteenth-century Paris.

Description

Two male figures sit at a table. The one on the left holds a glass and drinks; the one on the right, arms folded, perches on the table and looks upward. Both faces are exaggerated and their postures odd, giving them a grotesque air. A wall with vertical stripes forms the backdrop, and a sheet of paper lies on the table. The figures hold the centre, the arrangement feels balanced, and the light falls evenly without harsh shadows.

Context

For the satirical journal Le Charivari, Daumier created the series 'Les Chinois de Paris', in which he skewered Parisian society and its foibles. The lithograph appeared on 22 December 1863 and takes up absinthe consumption, widespread in nineteenth-century France and regarded as a social problem. Through caricature, Daumier described absinthe's destructive effect on the individual.

Impact

At first the distorted faces and twisted postures provoke amusement, yet the caricature carries a serious social indictment within it. The grotesque sight prompts reflection on the consequences of alcoholism. The symmetrical layout and plain backdrop direct attention to the figures and their interaction.

Technique

Lithograph on newsprint, second state of two (Delteil). The lithographic process allowed precise lines and gradations that serve the caricature. At roughly 20 × 24 cm (image), the format matches the usual size of satirical prints in journals of the period.

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