"Academician, sir, I am a candidate..." 1868

Curator: Daumier’s lithograph, "Academician, sir, I am a candidate..." presents us with a stark image, a commentary on ambition and perhaps desperation. Editor: They're gaunt, almost skeletal, standing in what looks like a flooded landscape. The figures are unsettlingly thin, as if ambition has consumed them. Curator: Indeed. Notice how Daumier uses the lithographic stone to create that sense of unease. The figures are almost caricatures of the academic elite. The water and floating heads suggest the cutthroat world they inhabit. Editor: I see the dark lithographic ink almost as symbolic of a polluted academic environment—a relentless pursuit of success that dehumanizes individuals. Curator: It's a powerful depiction, reminding us how social and political satire can be timeless, and how the visual language of lithography served Daumier's critical vision. Editor: Yes, and to consider the impact of the print medium itself - how accessible these images would have been! It really brings home the reach and power of this type of work.