“- I am not afraid for me, but if I think of poor Azor who will perish on the 13th of June... it simply breaks my heart,” plate 8 from La Cométe De 1857 1857

Editor: So, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier, “- I am not afraid for me, but if I think of poor Azor who will perish on the 13th of June... it simply breaks my heart,” made in 1857, has this anxious energy to it. The figures are so expressive, almost exaggerated. What's your read on this piece? Curator: Exaggeration, yes! Daumier’s caricatures are delicious social commentaries disguised as, well, funny drawings. He plucks at the heartstrings with satire. The panic around the 1857 comet was a big deal, lots of people genuinely thought it heralded doom. I find it so interesting he’s not just skewering the fear, but the self-centeredness of it all. The lady laments about her dog, Azor! Can you feel the contrast with, perhaps, other possible impending doom? Editor: That is biting. It is easy to miss the self-centeredness for her exaggerated expressions. Do you think that her clothing or her counterpart has any relevance? Curator: Clothes maketh the… target? Perhaps. He has a ridiculous costume as well as an incredibly large nose, don't you think? The artist uses their appearances to place them socially, heighten their absurdity. Notice how the impending disaster reduces to petty, personal concern for her dog, Azor! Which makes us ask if he cared about Azor or was he trying to point something else out... what do you think? Editor: It's a bit cynical, but the humor makes it accessible, I think. A very skilled and economical form of cultural commentary! I never considered lithography as something as cutting and sarcastic as this. Curator: Exactly! And that's the brilliance, isn't it? It's deceptively simple. The piece asks what we are really concerned about, as a species. A thought-provoking, anxiety-provoking jab at the end of the day.