"You see, this part is very large..." 1858

Curator: Here we have Honoré Daumier’s lithograph "You see, this part is very large..." currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The stark contrast in shading immediately strikes me; it creates a palpable sense of enclosure and performance. Curator: Indeed, the linear hatching technique is quite effective in defining spatial volume. But consider also the political context of Daumier’s work... Editor: How this piece then reflects Daumier's pointed social critique of 19th-century French society and its power structures through humor. Curator: Perhaps so, but I see a sophisticated visual rhetoric at play, a masterful use of line and form, quite apart from any immediate political reading. Editor: I think that political reality shaped both Daumier's hand and eye. Curator: Regardless, it’s clear Daumier's technical skill lends itself to a fascinating interplay between form and content. Editor: Absolutely, a dance between the aesthetic and the sociopolitical, and I feel that it's a piece that has much to say about our own world.