← Honoré Daumier

Do what you like, my poor ultramontane press. You will not prevent me from marching on, from 'News of the day,'

Original title: Do what you like, my poor ultramontane press. You will not prevent me from marching on, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, December 5, 1866

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

December 5, 1866

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; fourth state of four (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 5/16 in. × 8 in. (23.6 × 20.3 cm) Sheet: 11 5/8 × 11 7/16 in. (29.5 × 29 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1956

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike most death allegories of the period, Honoré Daumier goes for direct confrontation: in this 1866 lithograph, Death grabs a woman by her garment. The print belongs to the series 'Nachrichten des Tages' and appeared in the satirical magazine Le Charivari. It was printed on newsprint, in the fourth and final state of the stone (Delteil).

Description

A figure, unmistakably Death, holds a shovel-like handle and grips the woman, who tries desperately to escape. Her clothing is wrapped around her so that it hides her face; her posture and gestures convey fear and despair. The layout remains flat and stark, all in black and white, with graded shadows creating the tense mood typical of the lithograph.

Context

Daumier worked regularly for Le Charivari, commenting on political and social events. This caricature targets the friction between the ultramontane, i.e. Catholic, press and liberal forces in Second Empire France. The title alludes to censorship and the press's attempt to sway public opinion. In this phase of his career, Daumier increasingly turned to dark allegories.

Impact

The print is unsettling above all through the menacing closeness of Death and the woman's defenselessness. The arrangement is clear, and the contrast between the massive death figure and the delicate woman heightens the sense of hopelessness. Monochrome and hard shadows give the view a serious, almost apocalyptic undertone.

Technique

Daumier drew with greasy chalk on the stone and had the result printed on newsprint. This process allows fine transitions between light and shadow, used here entirely for the gloomy mood. The fourth state represents the final form as it appeared in the newspaper.

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