Imitation of the Laocoön-group, from "News of the day"
Original title: Imitation of the Laocoön-group, from "News of the day"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier takes on the famous ancient Laocoön group in this 1868 lithograph and turns it into caricature. A woman with arms flung up, her dress bearing the words 'FENIANISM' and 'CONSPIRACY', stands beside a second figure wearing a helmet. The print belongs to the series 'Nachrichten des Tages' and is conceived as a political caricature.
Description
A female figure dominates the sheet, arms stretched upward as if in desperate struggle. On her garment appear the words 'FENIANISM' and 'CONSPIRACY', which lay bare the allegorical meaning. At her side another figure with a helmet moves with equal dynamism. The background remains bare, making the two figures stand out all the more clearly. The lithograph is executed in black and white, realistic in its handling yet exaggerated.
Context
Daumier drew this sheet on 6 April 1868 for the satirical magazine 'Le Charivari'. The occasion was the unrest of the Fenians in Ireland and Britain, which culminated in an uprising in 1867. The caricature alludes to the Laocoön group, the ancient sculpture depicting the death of the Trojan priest and his sons in the grip of serpents. Daumier used this classical motif to ridicule the political entanglements and conspiracies of his own day.
Impact
The clash between heroic antiquity and everyday politics produces an effect that is both comic and oppressive. The exaggerated gestures and the inscribed garments make the caricature immediately legible. One smiles while looking, yet also senses the criticism of a politically heated atmosphere.
Technique
The work is a lithograph on wove paper, in the second of two states (Delteil). This printing process allowed fine lines and shading, which Daumier used for his expressive movements. The image measures 24.4 × 20.8 cm, the sheet 36 × 27.3 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)