← Honoré Daumier

Pole-vault: An exercise taken from the circus, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, March 9, 1870

Original title: Pole-vault: An exercise taken from the circus, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, March 9, 1870

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

March 9, 1870

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 3/8 × 7 13/16 in. (23.8 × 19.9 cm) Sheet: 11 3/8 × 10 15/16 in. (28.9 × 27.8 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1954

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike many circus images of its time, Honoré Daumier's 1870 lithograph relies not on exotic spectacle but on a modest pole bearing the words 'RUE DE POITIERS'. A caricatured clown with bulging muscles hauls himself up it, while a woman in a flowing gown steadies the base. The print belongs to the series 'News of the day' and appeared in the satirical journal Le Charivari; it is a lithograph on newsprint in the second state.

Description

A woman in a long, flowing dress stands at the front, gripping a pole inscribed 'RUE DE POITIERS'. Clinging to it is a clown with an oversized head and grotesque expression, his muscular body contorted into an acrobatic pose reminiscent of pole vaulting. The layout is spare: a flat ground line is all that defines the setting. Black and white dominate, focusing attention squarely on the two figures and the pole.

Context

On 9 March 1870, the French satirical journal Le Charivari published this lithograph as part of the series 'News of the day'. Daumier drew on circus motifs for a political or social allusion; the inscription 'RUE DE POITIERS' names a specific Parisian location. In the later phase of his career, he turned increasingly to such caricatures of politics and society.

Impact

The comedy comes above all from the clown's exaggerated musculature and absurd pose. At the same time, a contrast emerges between the woman's calm demeanour and the clown's grotesque appearance, prompting the viewer to ponder the situation depicted.

Technique

For this print, Daumier drew with fatty crayon on the stone, from which it was then printed—a lithographic process on newsprint. Clear lines and strong contrasts serve to characterise the figures precisely. The impression is from the second state and was issued in Le Charivari as part of a series.

AI-generated description text

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