An Amateur 1847

Editor: This is "An Amateur" by Honoré Daumier, and it looks like a lithograph. There's this rather stout gentleman in the foreground fiddling with something, seemingly oblivious to the ladies behind him. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, he does seem a bit caught up in his own world, doesn’t he? Daumier was a master of social commentary, always with a wink and a nudge. I imagine this fellow thinks himself quite the connoisseur, hence "An Amateur," perhaps mistaking enthusiasm for expertise. The hammer sticking out of his coat? Perhaps he is off to 'restore' some antiquity? A cautionary tale, perhaps, about the pitfalls of... overconfidence? Editor: That's hilarious! So Daumier's not just showing us a scene, but telling us a story about perception. Curator: Exactly! Art isn’t just about what you see, but what you *think* you see, isn’t it? Food for thought!