The Reader 

Honoré Daumier’s “The Reader” is an oil painting, worked in strokes of ochre, red, and brown. Daumier, born in 1808, lived through a time of massive social upheaval. His images often reflect the plight of the working class. Here, a lone figure focuses intently on his book. Daumier’s method is critical to understanding the painting. With visible brushwork and muted colors, he conveys the working man’s reality: a life of hardship. The act of reading becomes a powerful assertion of self-determination. Daumier was acutely aware of the power of mass media. His skills were honed producing lithographs for newspapers. With this painting, however, Daumier brings a craftsman’s eye to his subject. The textures of the paint mimic the rough surface of working-class life, while elevating the ordinary to something monumental. By considering the making, we see that the artist asks us to consider the dignity of labor, both intellectual and manual.