Le danger de s'assoupir en voyage c. 19th century

Editor: Daumier's lithograph, "The Danger of Falling Asleep While Traveling," likely from the 19th century, strikes me as a rather amusing commentary on travel. What can you tell me about the work, considering its focus and how it reflects the social realities of the time? Curator: The piece highlights a pivotal shift in 19th-century life – the rise of rail travel. However, I focus on Daumier’s role as a producer within that social change. Consider the lithograph: a *mass-produced* print made accessible by industrial printing technologies. Daumier, essentially, *labored* within this industry to create accessible social commentary. How does the act of *making* this piece shape its message, do you think? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn’t thought about the print itself as a product. So the very process of creating lithographs allowed his commentary to reach a wider audience, shaping public opinion... almost like early mass media? Curator: Precisely. Notice how the style isn’t refined; it emphasizes the immediacy of capturing a social scene. Daumier used lithography not just for artistic expression, but to engage with issues like class disparity in rail travel and its increasing demand for efficiency. How does this influence how we view “high” art versus commercially driven artistic output, and what does that boundary even mean here? Editor: So, it challenges the notion of high art by connecting it to mass production and everyday life. It kind of democratizes art, using this accessible format to engage in social criticism. Curator: Exactly. And what does examining these mass-produced prints through a material lens reveal? What shifts might emerge as we delve further into the labour of the artist and the economic impact and potential of their lithographic stones and tools? Editor: It’s amazing how shifting the focus to production adds new dimensions. This has reshaped how I view Daumier’s work. Curator: Me too. There is something incredibly important and poignant about how a renewed focus on the creation process transforms how we see works of art and opens new paths to appreciation.