Throughout history, political groups have used mass-produced publications to spread their messages. While the written word in these publications is important, oftentimes the caricatures and satirical drawings interspersed throughout the text are among their most influential and memorable features.
Honoré Daumier, a French artist active in the mid-to-late 19th century, was a master of satirical drawings and prints. A selection of his works is now on view at the Central Branch of the Boston Public Library (BPL) in an exhibition entitled "Honoré Daumier and the Popular Press."
Daumier lived and worked during a time of immense political upheaval in France. After Napoleon Bonaparte was definitively overthrown in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo, a series of rulers took control of France until Louis-Philippe was crowned "King of the French" in 1830. Louis-Philippe ruled France for nearly two decades and was known as the "Citizen King," in part because of his tendency to dress like members of the middle class. Despite this stylistic connection to the French citizens he ruled, Louis-Philippe's reign was by no means serene. As a result of frequent protests and political changes, he abdicated the throne in 1848. During Louis-Philippe's reign, Daumier produced some of his most famous politically-charged prints for the anti-monarchical publications "La Caricature" and "Le Charivari" — now on display at the BPL.
One of the prints in the first grouping in the gallery, "Repos de la France" [France at Rest] (1834), demonstrates Daumier's extraordinary ability to combine artistic technique with a powerful political message.
The print depicts a rotund man, presumably Louis-Philippe, asleep on an exaggerated throne chair and wearing a crown. Beside the throne, a rooster — commonly used to symbolize France — is bent over in exhaustion. On the opposite side, a saddened woman wearing the French revolutionary hat — likely the allegorical figure for liberty — leans against the throne chair with her hands tied.
This print, like many in the exhibition, displays Daumier's artistic skill through his thoughtful rendering of the figures, garments and furniture. It is also imbued with a strong political message and suggests that Louis-Philippe was stifling many of the reforms that were so proudly achieved during the French Revolution, preventing the country from moving forward. Exaggerated features make the print a clear caricature of the king, but caricatures are most effective when the viewer understands the historical context. While the exhibition opens with an introduction to the artist and the time period, the display of "Repos de la France," like many prints in the exhibition, would be much more effective if it were accompanied by an explanation describing its symbols and relevance in 19th century France.
The prints in the exhibition are compelling at face value for their artistic qualities, but for viewers without a thorough knowledge of French history, much of the symbolism in the prints will go unnoticed without explanatory labels.
Other prints in the gallery require much less explanation; including "Croquis Parisiens: La Visite à L'Atelier," or "Parisian Sketches: The Visit to the Studio" (1857). In the print, an artist displays his painting to a man and woman, presumably of the bourgeois class. The man's eyes are bulging out of his head and he rears back from the painting in shock. The woman reacts similarly, and the back of her large dress is wildly exaggerated.
Beneath the print, an inscription reads: "What color! What design! It is of Van Dyck! It is of Rubens! It is marvelous! It is amazing! (The artist is pleased to have consulted people having so much taste, and eight days after his painting is refused by the jury of admission.)" Here, Daumier pokes fun at the ever-changing whims of art collectors and enthusiasts with exceptional wit and cutting humor, making this one of the most enjoyable prints in the entire exhibition.
Honoré Daumier clearly had a strong impact on the publications for which he created prints, and his works are still very compelling today because of his remarkable skill. The prints also offer — despite their periodic lack of explanation in the gallery — a fascinating insight into French society during one of its most tumultuous periods.
