You are a warden, it is all right for me since I have a license, from "News of the day"
Original title: You are a warden, it is all right for me since I have a license, from "News of the day"
kurzbeschreibung
Two figures meet in a field: on the left, a man in uniform with a shotgun; on the right, an older person in plain clothes, wearing an apron and leaning on a stick. Honoré Daumier drew this scene in 1866 as a lithograph for the series 'News of the Day'; this impression is the second state of two according to Delteil, printed on newsprint.
Description
The two figures stand facing each other in the foreground, left and right, their eyes meeting. The man in uniform holds a shotgun; the older figure leans on a stick and wears a garment with an apron. Behind them a quiet landscape opens up beneath a cloudy sky. The print stays in shades of grey, with crisp outlines and even tonal brightness throughout.
Context
The sheet was published on 27 October 1866 as part of the satirical series 'News of the Day'. In it Daumier repeatedly took up the social and political abuses of the Second Empire. The title alludes to a hunting or gun-carrying licence and can be read as an ironic remark on relationships of authority.
Impact
The exaggerated figures come across as comic and at the same time prompt reflection. The calm backdrop and the balanced placement of the two figures stand in tension with the confrontation hinted at between them. Clear draughtsmanship gives the image a precise, almost graphic feel.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint; this is the second of two known states. Lithography allows fine lines and gradations, which are used here to produce the caricatural effect. Printing on newsprint was standard for Daumier's satirical picture series and underlines the topical, journalistic character of the sheet.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)