Ma femme m'a dit: attends moi cinq minutes... 1842

Curator: Let's consider Daumier's lithograph, "Ma femme m'a dit: attends moi cinq minutes..." from 1842. The pervasive diagonal hatching immediately strikes one. What compositional strategies do you observe? Editor: Well, immediately the exaggerated nose and looming rain create a rather bleak and slightly comical mood, even pathetic. The artist uses stark contrasts. What draws your attention? Curator: Precisely, the contrast between the detailed foreground and the suggestive background compels inquiry. The subject appears compressed into a narrow visual space, bounded by what we may presume is the entrance to a shop. Observe how the meticulously rendered rain serves not merely as atmospheric context, but also, texturally and directionally, as an element of compositional compression. Do you see the effect of his entrapment? Editor: Yes, he does appear visually cornered, almost pinned down by the rain and the architecture! Would you consider his clothing to have the same effect? Curator: Yes. And consider how Daumier uses the figure's costume and bearing against his facial expression. The carefully held umbrella and tightly clutched coat present one posture of resolve against another posture of entrapment through his expression. In terms of its lines and mass, do you think the background reinforces the themes? Editor: Definitely. Thank you. I hadn't thought about it in terms of compositional compression. Curator: You're welcome. It illustrates the way in which lines contribute meaning and the way forms might affect the thematic construction within a two-dimensional frame.