← Honoré Daumier

Opening night, from 'The difficult moments of life,' published in Le Charivari, May 26, 1864

Original title: Opening night, from 'The difficult moments of life,' published in Le Charivari, May 26, 1864

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

May 26, 1864

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 1/2 × 8 3/8 in. (24.2 × 21.3 cm) Sheet: 11 13/16 in. × 11 in. (30 × 28 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Premierenabend', published on 26 May 1864, presents a speaker or performer on stage. Unlike many of his sheets that work purely through types, this print ties the performance to a closely observed audience. It belongs to the series 'Les moments difficiles de la vie' and appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari. It was printed as a lithograph on newsprint, in the second state of two (Delteil).

Description

What sets this print apart from related stage pictures is the figure seen from behind in the foreground: standing on the stage, hands raised in an expressive gesture, wearing a long-sleeved garment that suggests a formal appearance. Behind this figure the audience becomes visible, their individual faces worked out in detail and looking attentive. At the lower right, a framed portrait of another person completes the arrangement. The black-and-white reproduction draws the eye to the central figure and the spectators.

Context

By 1864 Daumier was already well known for his satirical lithographs in Le Charivari. The series 'Die schwierigen Momente des Lebens' takes up everyday embarrassments and social situations of bourgeois society under the Second Empire. Lithography served him as a medium for caricaturing contemporary social types and manners. That such sheets appeared in a daily newspaper points to the growing role of the press in circulating art and satire.

Impact

A humorous yet thoughtful mood arises because the sheet captures the tension of a public appearance. The expressive gesturing of the central figure and the detailed faces of the audience heighten the caricatural edge. The viewer is drawn into the situation and recognizes the universal awkwardness of such moments.

Technique

Daumier worked in lithography, a printing process based on the repulsion of grease and water on limestone. Printing was done on newsprint, as was usual for satirical magazines and allowed inexpensive mass production. The second state of the print suggests revisions or corrections made before publication.

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