← Honoré Daumier

The Ravaged Poets' Corner, from 'In the Pub,' published in Le Charivari, January 7, 1864

Original title: The ravaged poets' corner, from 'In the pub,' published in Le Charivari, January 7, 1864

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

January 7, 1864

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 7 5/8 × 9 13/16 in. (19.4 × 24.9 cm) Sheet: 11 11/16 × 11 5/16 in. (29.7 × 28.8 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

This lithograph by Honoré Daumier dates from 1864 and belongs to the series 'In der Kneipe'. Three men sit together, absorbed in conversation. The sheet appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari on 7 January 1864. It was executed as a lithograph on newsprint, in the second of two states (Delteil).

Description

In a panelled tavern, three men have gathered around a table and are talking. Two of them hold glasses, while the third has a document in his hand and reads from it. Their expressions are drawn with a vigorous stroke that makes the satirical intent plain. Black on white, the image stays; the light falls evenly, with no hard shadows.

Context

In 1864 Daumier was working regularly for the satirical journal Le Charivari. The series 'In der Kneipe' took up the goings-on in Parisian drinking places. Lithography gave Daumier a means of targeting social types and their behaviour.

Impact

The expressive faces give the sheet a humorous and at the same time critical edge. The closely observed setting and the figures create a dense atmosphere that puts the viewer right in the middle of the tavern scene.

Technique

Printing was done on newsprint, as was usual for caricatures of those years. The lithographic process allowed fine lines and gradations, which stand out clearly in this second state.

AI-generated description text

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