A True Art Lover, plate 66 from Les Bons Bourgeois 1847

Curator: Here we have Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "A True Art Lover," created in 1847, plate 66 from "Les Bons Bourgeois." Editor: It’s immediately striking, a very stark scene rendered in such precise lines. The figures almost seem etched into the paper. Curator: Precisely, Daumier’s mastery with lithography allowed him to create this intricate world on paper. It really is an incredible demonstration of the craft. The series, “Les Bons Bourgeois,” offers a critical perspective of the emerging middle class of his time. The consumption of art was becoming more widespread, a signal of social status for some. Editor: Observe the two figures—the foregrounded gentleman is scrutinizing a painting through a magnifying glass. This meticulous, almost obsessive, inspection is balanced by the figure behind him who is facing away from the works, in quiet contemplation. Curator: Yes, it’s a commentary on the varying levels of engagement with art and what is valued or at least appears to be valued. This was at a time of major upheaval with revolutions brewing across Europe. How society organized itself, and how the wealthy displayed status, was rapidly changing. Editor: The etching gives the gallery an enclosed quality. The visual composition really directs your eye into the detail that the bourgeois gentleman is analyzing. Curator: He’s studying a form of artistic creation but divorced from labor—he purchases the finished product. There is this separation that’s important to note between the producer and consumer. Editor: It really underscores the artist’s intention here; there’s a great contrast. One of them is looking very analytically, the other stands more reserved, like myself at a stuffy gallery! It shows the differing modes of engagement with the works. Curator: And he's subtly challenging who is truly a “true art lover.” Is it the man meticulously dissecting each brushstroke or the figure finding an individual meaning, irrespective of technical merit? Editor: Indeed, food for thought about our individual relationship with artworks in such a setting. Thank you! Curator: A fascinating exploration into the evolving relationship of class, consumerism and artistic endeavor of mid-19th century Paris.