Tiens ... qu'est-ce qu'c'est donc qu'ça? ... c. 19th century

Curator: Here we have Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "Tiens… qu'est-ce qu’c’est donc qu’ça? …," from the mid-19th century. It translates to "Look...what on earth is that?” Editor: Well, "what on earth" is the perfect description! My first impression is almost disgust... Daumier has captured this bourgeois discomfort so brilliantly with the expressive hatching that constitutes the figures. You can practically smell their apprehension, mixed, of course, with their utter incomprehension. Curator: Indeed. It's classic Daumier, isn't it? He's poking fun at the Parisian bourgeoisie. Observe the stark lines used to create caricatures of these well-to-do figures juxtaposed against the unfinished form of the sculpture and then observe the clothing of these people and you have an understanding of Parisian high society at this time. This piece becomes especially poignant considering it was printed during the July Monarchy when class tension was a theme constantly present in French popular and academic culture. Editor: Speaking of production, notice how Daumier leverages lithography here. The grainy quality allows for that rapid dissemination—almost like a proto-meme. The masses can own, literally and figuratively, the critique. And let’s consider the materials involved. Chalk, stone, ink, paper... These are not the tools of rarefied “high art,” but implements readily available, cheap even. Mass media is key here: critique for consumption. Curator: But let's also remember Daumier was trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition! The Romantic flourishes of line and shadow speak to a higher purpose, one aimed at affecting emotional response. His critical perspective is born of personal observation of character and spirit, one feels. It’s almost like Daumier is laughing along with them, while simultaneously judging. Editor: Yes, but there’s a market at play isn’t it? It is worth reflecting on the means of dissemination. What sort of market-driven constraints or imperatives are embedded in Daumier's satirical process? Curator: It's a rich blend, wouldn't you say? To look with clear eyes is what any artist, really anyone who wishes to feel anything at all, should strive for. It may not always be beautiful but it might get you closer to yourself, to our collective consciousness, if there is such a thing. Editor: Exactly. So, let’s think critically about art's entanglement within social life... the material conditions by which Daumier can offer these social portraits, these glimpses into 19th-century France... there's a complex web that Daumier opens up for us to begin to look at art beyond purely formal terms.