Ou allez-vous donc? c. 19th century

Curator: Isn't that an intriguing print? It's a lithograph called "Où allez-vous donc?", dating back to the 19th century and created by Honoré Daumier. Editor: Immediately, what strikes me is the dynamism, like a captured moment in a hurried story. But underneath, I sense a current of mild desperation. Curator: Exactly. Daumier had this amazing knack for observing the absurdities of daily life. This piece is from his series, "Hunting Sketches". What symbolic reads do you make of this one? Editor: Well, hunting has long served as a potent symbol of status and power. Yet here, the hunter with his rifle is less than majestic, almost comical. He seems driven not by noble pursuit, but by something far less grand – a Sunday supper. That other figure is practically pleading. The image captures, in such simple line work, a satire of social class aspirations. Curator: Absolutely! He turns tradition upside down. We have the everyman playing the aristocratic hunter. It’s less about sport and more about sustenance, or at least the illusion of it. Notice also the dog, quite unassuming compared to dogs in, say, aristocratic portraiture. There's this contrast, isn't there, between pretense and reality? It makes the caricature potent. Editor: Precisely! The urgency in the hunter's stance coupled with that somewhat forlorn dog suggests that something may be a little off about the promised stew. A sense of wishful thinking, perhaps even a self-delusion. That transforms it into commentary on the human condition, doesn't it? Curator: Yes, he layers irony into every detail. The seemingly straightforward subject of a hunting trip veils deeper musings on class, aspiration, and perhaps, even a bit of self-deception. And, somehow, a hunger greater than simple bodily need. Editor: Daumier certainly encourages us to read beyond the surface—quite effectively! Even after our talk, that energy of frustrated desire and humorous self-importance lingers with me. It's rather human.