A treacherous attitude, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"
Original title: A treacherous attitude, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier’s 1867 lithograph Eine hinterhältige Haltung (A SnEAKY POSTURE) caricatures two figures beneath heavy clouds. Published in the satirical journal Le Charivari as part of the series News of the Day, this impression is a proof of the second state of three, retouched with pen and brown ink.
Description
In the foreground a bearded man with long hair squats in a loose robe, staff in hand, his gaze turned to the left; his posture wavers between thought and unease. Behind him stands a second person holding a stick, whose action remains unclear. A massive dark cloud bank fills the background and weighs on the mood, while other figures are only sketched in. The layout is unbalanced, drawing the eye to the seated man; brown and gray tones sharpen the contours.
Context
Daumier drew regularly for Le Charivari on politics and daily life, including the series News of the Day, which took up current events. October 4, 1867 falls in the years of the Second Empire under Napoleon III. Criticism of power and society runs through his work.
Impact
Oppression and irony lie close together: the gloomy clouds and cramped figures create tension, while the exaggerated faces bring comedy into the image. This mockery undermines the seriousness of the subject without entirely dispelling it.
Technique
The print was made by lithography, after which Daumier reworked the sheet with pen and brown ink on newsprint. The process allowed fine lines and gradations in brown and gray. The second of three states captures an intermediate stage of printing and reveals the careful retouching.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)