En ballon captif c. 19th century

Curator: This is "En ballon captif," a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, dating back to around the 19th century. Editor: Right off the bat, this piece has such a wonderfully oddball vibe. There’s something both silly and unsettling about it, like a bizarre dream floating right above a drowsy, rolling landscape. Curator: Daumier was, of course, a master of social commentary through caricature. He’s zeroing in on, among other things, how perception can be skewed, particularly through the lens of technological advances and social hierarchies. Look at those fellows! One with his telescope, the other with what appears to be a musical instrument, maybe both thinking they have clarity. Editor: Oh, absolutely. The one gazing south seems to have run into a 'Damn!' kind of realization. And his partner who’s observing to the east shouting, "Sacre bleu! - I mean, literally "sapristi." It speaks volumes about the era's fascination with progress and the simultaneous disillusionment as the world changed so rapidly. Don't you think the artist manages to capture the feeling when reality doesn't match up to the promise? Curator: Precisely. Daumier highlights this clash brilliantly through his bold lines and exaggerated features. The figures in the basket, trapped, up in this balloon, which is an emblem of technology and maybe supposed progress, yet all they really manage is just some cartoonish shouting... Editor: True! The composition reinforces it— the way the basket of the balloon is rendered with a weightiness that contradicts the lightness of the air around them, further grounds these characters. You know I keep coming back to their gestures: these two very small tools of seeing, and playing musical notes over an enormous horizon… They almost emphasize that what is real in their minds has got more to do with dreams, and their state of containment. Curator: Yes! So even as viewers now, it might challenge our perspectives. Like, how clear is my vision or understanding of the world, anyway? Daumier doesn’t offer answers. Editor: But a lot of feels... I can relate to getting lost in the hot air while aiming for new heights. Okay, this trip into thin air might've thinned my brain. Next up: solid ground!