A misapprehension at the Odeon, on a day of drama, from 'Theater sketches,' published in Le Charivari, May 4, 1864
Original title: A misapprehension at the Odeon, on a day of drama, from 'Theater sketches,' published in Le Charivari, May 4, 1864
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier takes up a small muddle at the Paris Odeon theatre in this 1864 lithograph. Up front stands a man in a top hat beside a woman dressed in the fashion of the day, the two of them caught midway through a misunderstanding. The sheet belongs to the Theatrical Sketches that ran in the satirical journal Le Charivari.
Description
Two figures occupy the foreground: the gentleman in his suit and top hat looks baffled, while the lady in her dress and bonnet seems startled. Behind them the auditorium opens out with rows of seats and drapery; a half-raised curtain reveals the stage, where two figures strike impassioned poses. Lettering frames the scene, carrying the dialogue and asides. The print is black and white, evenly lit and without shadow.
Context
Daumier made this lithograph for his Theatrical Sketches series in Le Charivari, where he regularly needled Parisian cultural life. The Odeon was a well-known stage in the city, prized for classical and contemporary productions. Its publication on 4 May 1864 falls in a period when Daumier had spent more than thirty years drawing political and social caricatures for various papers.
Impact
The joke grows out of the contrast between the solemn world of the stage and the little confusions of the audience. Daumier captures surprise and alarm so plainly that the situation reads at once, and the fun of it still holds up today.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint and survives in the second of two known states (Delteil). Lithography let Daumier lay down fine lines and gradations, which were crucial to his characteristic faces and gestures.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)