So, show-off from Paris!.... you will dance twice with my Catherine.... try again now to make eyes at her!, from Pastorales (Romance of Country Life)
Original title: So, show-off from Paris!.... you will dance twice with my Catherine.... try again now to make eyes at her!, from Pastorales (Romance of Country Life)
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's 1845 lithograph belongs to the series "Pastorales (Romance of Country Life)." A gathering in the countryside brings several figures together at a public occasion, where one man appears to be calling another to account over a woman.
Description
Several figures stand at the front in rustic dress: men in hats, women in long gowns and aprons. Behind them a stage can be made out, where two musicians play bassoon and violin. The figures are arranged with lively movement, and the group in the foreground holds the eye. The layout feels asymmetrical; this single-tone lithograph shows even light without strong shadows. Realistic touches meet caricatural faces.
Context
During the 1840s Daumier made the "Pastorales" series as satirical contributions on country life and bourgeois society. The print was produced as a lithograph on wove paper, in the first of two states, as a proof. Daumier was known for his political and social caricatures, which appeared in French satirical journals such as Le Charivari.
Impact
The exaggerated facial expressions and the restless arrangement of figures give the sheet liveliness and humour. A playful tension arises between the people, enough to raise a smile without sliding into the grotesque.
Technique
For this lithograph on wove paper, the design was drawn with greasy chalk on a stone and then printed. A proof exists of the first state, which suggests the motif was carefully reworked. Precise lines and an even distribution of tone show Daumier's assured handling of lithography.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)