Robert Macaire wisselt woorden met de ober in een restaurant Possibly 1837

Editor: So, here we have Honoré Daumier's lithograph from possibly 1837, "Robert Macaire Talking to the Waiter in a Restaurant." The frantic energy really jumps out; it’s like a snapshot of chaos and exasperation. What is your reading of this piece? Curator: Exasperation, yes, but also a biting satire! Think of Daumier, pen and ink as his rapier, skewering the bourgeoisie. Can’t you almost *hear* the arguments over the bill? The air is thick with the pomposity and hypocrisy Daumier loved to lampoon. Do you see the body language? Macaire is all flailing arms, an inflated ego deflating before our very eyes, and the waiter's calm? Delicious! Editor: He's a character, right? Robert Macaire? Like a recurring figure? Curator: Absolutely! Macaire was Daumier’s alter ego, a swindler embodying the excesses of the July Monarchy, always reinventing himself. Think of him as a comic Iago… forever plotting, preying on the gullible. The beauty here is in the sketchiness. Daumier wasn’t interested in precise details. He’s after capturing a *feeling*. A social commentary dashed off with wicked glee! It's like Daumier wants us in on the joke. Do you feel it? Editor: Definitely! That almost frantic, scratchy style emphasizes the mania, the hustle…It does feel like a very modern cartoon, almost. Curator: Exactly! He saw through the veneer of respectability, the get-rich-quick schemes… it's incredibly resonant, isn't it? Perhaps Daumier is trying to tell us something about our current society. Editor: I'm left thinking how humor can really pack a punch, more than just being funny. Curator: Indeed. And maybe it wouldn't hurt to remember that a good dose of satire now and then can keep us on our toes.