Dis donc, not'homme, faut-y ... c. 19th century

This lithograph was made by Honoré Daumier at an unknown date, and printed on paper. Daumier was a master of this printmaking process, which involves drawing with a greasy crayon onto a flat slab of limestone, then treating the stone so that ink adheres only to the drawn lines. The result is a ready multiplication of images. This was perfect for Daumier, who made his living by producing social commentary for the mass press. Lithography was in effect, an early form of mass media; Daumier was one of its most astute practitioners. Note how he uses the qualities of the medium – the slightly soft, blurred quality of the crayon – to great effect. He captures the bemused expressions of a working-class couple as they look up at an imposing sculpture, surely made for a wealthier patron. Daumier’s work reminds us that all art is made in a social context, and distributed within a market economy. This challenges the traditional distinction between high art, made by singular geniuses, and more populist forms of visual culture.