Six degrés au-dessous de zéro... 1847

Editor: This is "Six degrés au-dessous de zéro...", a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, from 1847. There’s such a feeling of discomfort and cold emanating from this piece. It almost makes *me* shiver! What's your take on it? Curator: Brrr, indeed! It's not just the chill you feel; it’s the sting of Daumier's wit. This isn’t just a picture about freezing temperatures; it’s about a cold marriage, a passionless union masked as bourgeois respectability. The husband, peeking out at a frigid world, likely feels warmer outside than next to "bobonne" here. Editor: Bobonne? Curator: It's a term of endearment, or, rather, what passes for it in this strained household – like calling your sweetie 'old dear'! He’s looking for warmth outside when it should be found inside with his spouse. Notice how Daumier contrasts the husband's active searching with the wife's almost statue-like stillness. Is she resigned, perhaps? Editor: She does seem pretty resigned! Almost like a bundled-up gargoyle. Curator: Exactly! Daumier's exaggerations—his romantic, shadowy style—hammer home that lack of intimacy more powerfully than any realistic depiction ever could. The tiny window beyond the curtains represents their constrained world; their lives feel trapped within these icy walls, no? It is comical yet, simultaneously, poignant, and bleak. Editor: That contrast really deepens the meaning! Seeing the title written into the artwork also highlights the punchline. I see it now: It is not really about the cold but about the marital dissatisfaction! Curator: Precisely! Daumier invites us to laugh, yes, but also to reflect on the absurdities and quiet tragedies of everyday existence. Editor: This piece is so much richer than I first thought. Thanks for sharing your insight!