What are you doing with these stretchers? – Monsieur, a reunion of the literary society is taking place in this house, from "News of the day"
Original title: – What are you doing with these stretchers? – Monsieur, a reunion of the literary society is taking place in this house, from "News of the day"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph of 1868 brings a top-hatted gentleman and a workman into a comic encounter. The subject belongs to the 'News of the Day' series, and this impression is the second state, printed on newsprint.
Description
At the left foreground a gentleman in top hat and coat steps forward, hammer in hand, his face a study in bewilderment. From the right a man in cap and shirt points at him, while two figures sit talking at a table behind. The evenly spread tone of the black-and-white lithograph and its clear layout keep the interplay of the figures to the fore, and the exaggerated expressions carry the comedy of the situation.
Context
The sheet was made for the satirical journal 'Le Charivari', where Daumier's 'Actualités' series ran. The date of November 30, 1868 places it in the artist's late period. With irony the lithograph takes aim at the literary life of the age, tying an everyday encounter to an absurd punchline.
Impact
The comic effect grows out of the unexpected situation and the overwrought reactions. The point of the dialogue lays bare the absurdity of the meeting and leaves the viewer smiling.
Technique
Lithography, a planographic process, allows fine lines and graded shading, which Daumier uses here for contours and tonal values. The sheet was printed on newsprint, as publication in a journal required. In the second state (Delteil) reworking of the printing plate is conceivable.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)