A difficult patron of the arts, from 'Exhibition sketches,' published in Le Charivari, June 17, 1864
Original title: A difficult patron of the arts, from 'Exhibition sketches,' published in Le Charivari, June 17, 1864
kurzbeschreibung
This 1864 lithograph by Honoré Daumier gathers a group of people around a table set with a ham board. One of the men, the so-called difficult amateur, finds fault with the ham. The sheet belongs to the series 'Exhibition Sketches', which appeared in 'Le Charivari'.
Description
Several figures crowd around a table bearing a ham board; the man at the table, evidently the difficult patron, gestures in ill humour while the others spread out through the room. Curtains and pictures on the wall close off the back. The image stays black and white, with expressive strokes and hatching shaping how each figure is characterised.
Context
On 17 June 1864 the satirical journal 'Le Charivari' published this sheet as a contribution to the series 'Exhibition Sketches'. In it Daumier took aim at the art life of his day and its players, above all the behaviour of art lovers. It is the second of two states (Delteil 3265), made at a time when Daumier was regularly supplying caricatures to the paper.
Impact
Direct and humorous, the pointed critique of the art world hits the viewer, carried by the expressive drawing of the figures. One watches an everyday situation pushed into exaggeration, an invitation to smile. The clear layout puts the dissatisfied amateur at the centre.
Technique
The sheet was printed as a lithograph on newsprint, with the drawing laid on the stone in greasy chalk and then pulled. This process allows fine hatching and soft shading, as seen in faces and fabrics. Delteil records the impression as the second state.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)