Archimède démontrant aux ingènieurs anglais ... c. 19th century

Curator: This lithograph by Honoré Daumier, dating from around the 19th century, depicts Archimedes demonstrating to English engineers his device for raising a whole fleet at Syracuse. What strikes you immediately about this work? Editor: The sheer audacity of the image! And the crude materiality. Look at the thick, dark lines, almost aggressively etched, conveying a sense of raw power, as well as social criticism. There's very little subtlety, and it suggests the drawing was produced in haste and with basic means. It highlights the material circumstances under which such critical art could circulate. Curator: Precisely. Daumier often used lithography to publish socio-political commentary quickly through popular newspapers. It was a medium perfectly suited to disseminate caricatures targeting specific political issues to a large audience. What appears to be 'crude' is actually quite sophisticated. Editor: Perhaps, but the lithographic crayon has such a physical presence here. Look how the tonal variations are achieved with seemingly brute force – building up layer after layer, resulting in such dark shadow. It reveals something of the labor, the making-of. And I suppose this boldness is what would capture a viewer’s attention amidst the chaotic newsprint. It draws attention to the image, rather than letting it dissolve back into its context. Curator: Agreed, and considering the broader scope, you start seeing Daumier utilizing Archimedes as a satirical stand-in. He subtly mocks the political and technological hubris of his era. By setting this grand feat in a classical setting, it's as if he’s suggesting the modern age’s ambition is just as prone to folly as ancient Greece. Editor: It certainly highlights the enduring allure of innovation, whilst exposing its potential to quickly descend into folly or be used for oppressive, anti-social ends. The way that rudimentary device is leveraged to lift an entire fleet – that juxtaposition of crude mechanism and enormous impact seems profoundly relevant even now. It reminds me to question what labor underpins innovation – what gets glossed over in the face of so called progress. Curator: A vital point. Daumier’s commentary, etched onto this modest stone, invites scrutiny of power structures disguised as progress—a discussion as urgent now as it was then. Editor: Yes. Seeing that interplay of process and cultural critique has made me reflect upon who holds that lever today, and whose ships are at their mercy.