Time too feels the urge for modern equipment, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, January 10, 1867 (January 10, 1867, Met-Objekt 3432)
Original title: Time too feels the urge for modern equipment, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, January 10, 1867
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph with pen drawing in 1867. A winged, bearded male figure personifying Time holds an arrow and a bowstring. The satirical print appeared in the series 'News of the Day' in the French magazine Le Charivari and pokes fun at modernization. This is a first-state proof in two states, executed with ink on newsprint.
Description
A central figure with a long beard and wings stands in the image, personifying Time, reminiscent of mythological or allegorical models. Arrow and bowstring in its hands suggest its role as creator and transformer of time. Beneath a cloud in the background lies a rusted clockwork, symbolizing transience and decay. The grays of the lithograph and pen drawing appear monochromatic, with diffuse light from the front emphasizing the contours. Caricatural exaggerations in the proportions of the figure and the clockwork shape the humorous style.
Context
In 1867 the sheet was created for the satirical newspaper Le Charivari, where Daumier regularly published political and social caricatures. The series 'News of the Day' took up current events and social trends, here the growing mechanization and modernization. Daumier often worked with lithographs for magazine printing, and this work represents a revised version with pen drawing. The work falls in a period when industrial innovations were changing daily life, which Daumier processed satirically.
Impact
An ironic distance to modern technology arises as Time itself appears as an antiquated being with outdated tools. The combination of mythological allegory and rustic clockwork is humorous and prompts reflection on progress. Clear lines and the reduced color palette give the sheet a timeless, graphic presence.
Technique
Lithography, reworked with pen and brown ink on newsprint, a process typical of Daumier for refining prints. In lithography, the chemical repulsion of grease and water on stone is used to create fine lines and shading. The reworking with ink adds accents and reinforces the caricatural details, such as the figure's facial features and the structure of the clockwork.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)