← Honoré Daumier

Oh, you are.... (guilty) and what do you want me to do about it?, from 'At the court of justice,' published in Le Petit Journal pour Rire, March 3, 1866

Original title: Oh, you are.... (guilty) and what do you want me to do about it?, from 'At the court of justice,' published in Le Petit Journal pour Rire, March 3, 1866

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

March 3, 1866

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 5 11/16 × 9 1/8 in. (14.5 × 23.2 cm) Sheet: 8 1/2 × 12 1/16 in. (21.6 × 30.6 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's 1866 lithograph stages a courtroom exchange between two figures: a judge and a defendant locked in dialogue. It belongs to the series 'At the court of justice' and appeared in Le Petit Journal pour Rire.

Description

On the left stands a figure in a judicial robe and cap, face twisted into a worried grimace. To the right, a man keeps his hat on and presses a hand to his chest as if to defend himself. The setting stays vague and abstract. Plain in its arrangement, the print draws the eye straight to the back-and-forth between the pair. Monochrome, evenly lit, with no harsh shadows.

Context

Daumier drew the series 'At the court of justice' for the French satirical magazine Le Petit Journal pour Rire. This lithograph came out on March 3, 1866, and reflects his critical view of the justice system of those years. It is the third state of three (Delteil).

Impact

The comic exchange and exaggerated expressions keep the viewer at an ironic distance from the law, though never with aggression. By stripping the scene down to essentials, Daumier sharpens its point.

Technique

Lithography on newsprint. The process allows the delicate lines and gradations of tone characteristic of Daumier's style. Black and white, with the even distribution of ink typical of lithographs.

AI-generated description text

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