“- Hey, Baptiste, what are these two shouting for the last hour… I am sure they are fighting! - Oh no, they make such funny movements, that's hilarious… I've got it: the are rehearsing a tragedy which they will perform at the party of Madame Follemèche… Lucky the bourgeois who can afford with his income to enjoy such entertainments… the man is almost as funny as the clown of the Folies-Nouvelles!,” plate 11 from Les Comédiens De Société 1858

This lithograph was made by Honoré Daumier in the mid-19th century. It captures a scene of bourgeois entertainment, but note the exaggerated gestures of the actors. These are not mere theatrical poses; they are deliberate exaggerations meant to critique the affected manners of the bourgeoisie. Consider the recurring motif of the theatrical gesture, which dates back to classical Greek theater. These gestures originally served to amplify emotions for large audiences. Yet, here, they seem hollow, devoid of genuine feeling. They echo through time, reappearing in commedia dell'arte and now in these bourgeois performances, each time shifting in meaning. The theatricality is a mask, revealing a deeper psychological truth about societal roles and performances. The cyclical nature of these symbols demonstrates the continuous human need to express, imitate, and sometimes mock our own behaviors. The image engages us on a subconscious level by exposing the artificiality of social performances. It reveals an enduring tension between genuine emotion and affected behavior.