Plate 38: Hot stuff! Hot stuff!, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires
Original title: Plate 38: Hot stuff! Hot stuff!, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires
kurzbeschreibung
Two men perch on separate walls, arms flung upward — the thrust of those raised gestures is what first catches the eye in this 1838 lithograph by Honoré Daumier. The black-and-white print belongs to the 'Caricaturana' series and was pulled on wove paper.
Description
Each figure stands atop his own wall, arms stretched high as though pasting up posters or scrawling on the masonry. On the left one reads 'RÉPONSE À M. BERTRAND', on the right 'RÉPONSE À M. MACAIRE'. Hats and jackets follow the lithographic fashion of those years. A stony ground and a bucket set down nearby point to the job at hand. Caricatural exaggeration colors the whole sheet.
Context
Daumier made this lithograph in 1838 for the satirical journal 'Le Charivari', as part of the 'Caricaturana' series. There he parodied the characters Robert Macaire and Bertrand, who embodied unscrupulous business dealings and roguery. The inscriptions on the wall allude to public debates of the day. Delteil documented the second printing of the sheet.
Impact
The overblown poses and the bold lettering leave a humorous, pointed impression. Crisp lines and the contrast between the men and the blank wall pull the gaze toward the action and the words. That is where the satirical bite lies, so characteristic of Daumier's work.
Technique
Executed as a lithograph on wove paper, the piece exists in the second state of two. The process allowed fine hatching and clear contrasts that serve the caricatural intent. The image measures 25.4 × 23.6 cm; the sheet, 34.1 × 25.8 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)