Dire qu'il y a des gens qui boivent de l'absinthe ... c. 19th century

Editor: This lithograph, "Dire qu'il y a des gens qui boivent de l'absinthe..." by Honoré Daumier, from the 19th century, features two men, seemingly enjoying a drink. I'm struck by how Daumier uses line to create a sense of, well, dissipated energy. What strikes you about this print? Curator: It’s interesting that you key into the dissipation. Looking at the material context of this lithograph, we need to consider its production. Prints like these were designed for mass consumption. The very act of reproducing the image, churning it out for the public, makes a statement about the changing landscape of art and its accessibility in 19th-century France. This wasn't an oil painting for the Salon; it was for the people. What was the impact on French society? Editor: That's a fascinating point. Knowing it was a widely circulated print gives a completely different perspective. Does that then suggest that Daumier intended a social critique about people consuming absinthe? Curator: Precisely. Think about the production and the cultural value attached to alcohol and the shift in drinking habits at the time. Absinthe was cheap, and it became associated with the working classes. So the act of depicting these figures drinking absinthe within this reproducible format challenges our understanding about high versus low culture. Editor: So Daumier isn't necessarily passing judgement; instead, he is examining societal norms by presenting them through easily accessible mass media. Curator: Exactly. It makes you question the hierarchies of taste and the value attached to different forms of artistic production, doesn’t it? The medium shapes the message here. Editor: Absolutely. I didn't consider that the lithographic process was such a significant part of the artwork’s statement. That really deepens the meaning for me.