Plate 35: Robert Macaire schismatic, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires
Original title: Plate 35: Robert Macaire schismatic, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this color lithograph in 1838, titled 'Robert Macaire schismatisch'. It shows two men in a cramped interior and belongs to the 'Caricaturana' series; the print was pulled on wove paper.
Description
Two figures stand in a narrow space enclosed by walls. On the left, a man in a green coat, white shirt and red trousers wears an expression that shifts between surprise and annoyance. To the right, a man in a dark hat, grey shirt and white trousers looks more worried or brooding. Both carry bags. A wall with a window and a door left ajar close off the room, whose floor is paved.
Context
The sheet is part of the series 'Les Robert Macaires', published in 1838 and produced by Daumier with the writer Charles Philipon. Robert Macaire, an antihero from a successful play, became the very image of charlatanism and speculation during the July Monarchy. With this series Daumier criticized social ills and the bourgeoisie.
Impact
The cramped setting and contrasting colors give the print a direct, tense impact. The faces of the two figures convey a mix of comedy and menace typical of Daumier's satire on society.
Technique
Fine hatching and graduated tones shape this color lithograph on wove paper, executed as the second of two states. Lithography in particular allowed such soft shading and could also be reproduced quickly, which favored publication in a journal.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)