| HONORÉ DAUMIER (1808-1879) | |
| A master in political and social caricatures from turbulent 19th century Paris. The French painter, lithographer and, above all, caricaturist Daumer was born in Marseille. He was the son of a stained-glass artist. Soon after, the needy family moves to Paris, where the restless and insecure Honoré takes some lessons at the Académie Suisse and later at the Boudoir studios. Publisher Ricourt is the first to recognize the power of Daumiers caricatural lithographs. During the July revolt in 1830 the young Daumer has strong republican sympathies. The publication of his political cartoons on the “king of the civilians” Louis-Philipe results in a six-month jail sentence in the St. Pélagie prison. In 1835 he becomes known among a wide republican circle with his clair-obscure lithos, amongst which the famous Rue Transnonain, le 15 avril 1834. With great craftsmanship he draws the harsh reality of social injustice, which is highly appreciated by Baudelaire and even Ingres. From that time onwards he draws thousands of lithos for the social satirical daily “Le Charivari”. The captions to many of his drawings are mainly suggested by his publisher Philipon – Daumier does not put that much value on them and he concentrates himself on the expressiveness of his work. Now finally financial secure he marries young Didine, with whom he will be sharing the rest of his life. The couple settles in Isle St. Louis, a neighbourhood that has a profound intellectual bohemian character. During his life the political constitution of France radically changes over and over again, and every time Daumer criticizes the changes from a cynical, but egalitarian point of view. As of 1835, political censorship forces him to limit himself to only criticize social life. Only in the three years which follow the 1848 revolution he is free to aim his satirical arrows at politics. It is then that he creates the immortal characters Robert Macaire and Patapoil. After an eventful life filled with political indignation and pungency, poverty and underestimated artistic aspirations he retreats and settles in Valmondois in 1871. Due to the deteriorating of his eye-sight he doesn’t work anymore. | |
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