Art Analysis: Daumier’s Past, Present, and Future Lithograph Essay

Introduction

Art assessment entails acknowledging, interpreting, and constructing critical adjudication on a piece of art or performance. Art criticism incorporates the negative and positive aspects of the work of art (Dumitru, 2019). The critic offers their description of the sculpture, painting, or theatrical performance from their viewpoint (Dumitru, 2019). The observer then establishes what message the artist was passing on according to the specific features of the art or event (Dumitru, 2019). Lastly, the observer critiques the artwork, discussing its importance, deficiencies, and contributions to art. Daumier’s past, present, and future lithograph has distinctive features that depict different interpretations and is significant to art.

Description

I did a visual art tour of the Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) on my personal computer. VOMA requires one to install its application and stream the art tour for free. The expedition was with a curator of European art, and there were 400 participants. Daumier’s the past, present and future (Le passé – Le présent – L’Avenir) lithograph was showcased. European history, particularly the liberalization of France, was the main thematic discussion of the day. The curator gave us a brief background of the artist, family, education, birth, death date, and work accomplishment.

The tour guide, a follower of Yuri Albert’s notion, requested us to use a blindfold as she described the artwork. She narrated the lithograph in-depth with a soothing voice while we visualized it. The exercise was invoking, exciting, and frustrating at the same time as my imagination could not portray the full lithograph, and I was anxious to see the actual image. Later, we were allowed to remove our blindfolds to view the three-dimensional image of the art piece.

The artwork is a three-face depiction of King Louis-Phillipe, the leader of France between 1830 to 1834. The head of King Louis is pear-shaped, and the three faces alter from left to right, with the latter being uglier than the former. The past, present, and future lithograph appeared in a publication of the La Caricature on 9th January 1834 (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). The medium used for the artwork is a lithograph with a length of 35 cm and a width of 27 cm (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). The piece has engravings and signatures endorsed by the lithographic stone.

Noteworthy Features

The pear shape three-face depiction in the lithograph is a noteworthy feature. Daumier uses the pear-shaped face to show how King Louis’s prosperity was from greed. The three faces depict the social structure of France, that is, the poor, the working class, and the aristocrats (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). King Louis pursued selfish interests at the expense of the poor and the working-class citizens. The inscription is a characteristic that portrays the article’s title, issue, and publication numbers (Ventura, 2018). The reversed signature H.D shows that Honoré Daumier is the artist and signifies the originality of the lithograph.

The title of the work ‘Le passé – Le présent -L’Avenir’ is another interesting feature. It represents the history, present condition, and future of France. The history of the French government was characterized by dictatorship, limiting the influence and freedom of the press. The working-class citizens rebelled and overturned the existing regime and chose King Louis as ruler over them (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). The present held prospects of freedom and relief from all forms of censorship and repression. However, liberty was fleeting, and soon Louis reinforced expurgation and censorship to protect his image and suppress a revolt. In that period, artists like Daumier, who were against the oppressive government, faced imprisonment for expressing themselves, and La Caricature, the firm that published his piece, was closed (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). Despite the suppression, the French had hopes for a better future where there would be equality and freedom.

Response to the Work

My first response to the work was exciting as I love Daumier’s work, especially his bust sculptures. However, I was unfamiliar with this piece and curious to learn more about it. I also wanted to know why Daumier used three faces and what they represented. The three-face illustration is frightening and evokes repulsion from my innermost being. The facial features from left to right are increasingly ugly. The first face on the left looks happy and satisfied, the middle is smugly and frowning, while the third is hideous, like a witch in kids’ fairytales.

The author made that piece intending to evoke those emotions in me. The changing faces aroused my interest in the progressive heightening unattractiveness. Daumier wanted the observers to understand how the French’s perception of their king changed with time. The happy and handsome face portrays the period when the French were satisfied with their leader and thought of Louis as the ideal ruler (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). The smug expression describes the sense of entitlement and onset of pride in King Louis (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). The ugly face depicts him as selfish and the enemy of the people. The purpose of the hideousness was to elicit feelings of hatred from the audience, especially toward what King Louis and the aristocrats represented. Daumier wanted to incite the public to stand firm and raise their voice against the harsh and excruciating ruling system.

Evaluation

Daumier’s lithograph represents the role of artists and performers in stimulating change in society. His art was so eye-catching and factual that it threatened the existing monarch to fine and imprison him (Ventura, 2018). The three-face image portrayed the events and actions of the France government as they were during the late and early eighteenth century (Filipovitch-Robinson, 2018). The lithograph simulates boldness in artistic creations and encourages artists to develop materials relevant to society and not let external influences limit their creativity.

The signature and encryption point out the work as authentic. The reversed engravings show that the artist drew on a flat plate before imprinting the image on paper (Ventura, 2018). The sign H.D. in reverse shows that the art was by Daumier and reflects copyrighting in the current times (Ventura, 2018). Le passé – Le présent -L’Avenir has a shadowy background that mirrors the oil smeared during the lithographic process, which signifies its originality (Ventura, 2018). Daumier using the lithograph, attains his objective of evoking negative emotions toward the governing regime to stimulate the masses to fight back against the injustice (Ventura, 2018). The three-face representation shows the artist’s ingenuity and passion in his work.

Conclusion

Daumier’s past, present, and future lithograph is an impressive piece of art. The three-face image represents the French’s social stratification during Daumier’s time. The title portrays the contrasting times while the pear shape face shows gluttony. The signature reflects the artist, and the inscriptions describe the publishing article. Daumier’s piece carried a political theme and played a critical role in fighting for freedom from oppression and censorship in France. The lithograph is bold as it uses a political leader as the face of tyranny without fear of repercussions.

References

Dumitru, D. (2019). Creating meaning. The Importance of Arts, Humanities and Culture for Critical Thinking Development. Studies in Higher Education, 44(5), 870–879. Web.

Filipovitch-Robinson, L. (2018). History painting: Its transformative implications. Serbian Studies: Journal of the North American Society for Serbian Studies, 29(1-2), 113–128. Web.

Ventura, G. (2018). Pain as resistance: Carnal suffering and political protest in Honoré Daumier’s l’imagination series. Konsthistorisk Tidskrift/Journal of Art History, 87(3), 125–153. Web.