Vader luistert tussen publiek naar pianospel van zijn dochter 1853

This lithograph, by Paul Gavarni, captures a father listening to his daughter play piano, sometime in the mid-19th century. Lithography is a printmaking process that relies on the contrast between greasy and water-receptive areas on a stone or metal plate. The artist draws with a greasy crayon, then treats the plate so that ink adheres only to the drawn lines. The result is a dense network of marks, which Gavarni uses to great effect. Look at the father’s face – etched with concern, perhaps even pain. The material lends itself to caricature, and Gavarni doesn’t hold back. Notice the figures behind him, seemingly aghast. This wasn’t high art, exactly; lithographs were produced in multiples, for mass consumption in newspapers and magazines. But that’s precisely what makes them so interesting. They offer a window into the everyday lives and social dynamics of 19th-century France. Appreciating the material and the context in which it was made helps us to understand the full meaning of this compelling image.