The Honours of the Pantheon, plate 433 1834

Editor: So, here we have "The Honours of the Pantheon" by Honoré Daumier, created in 1834. It's a lithograph, so a print made from a drawing on a stone, currently residing at The Art Institute of Chicago. It has such a dark, almost satirical mood to it. What’s your read on this piece? Curator: Ah, Daumier. Always with the gentle touch of a sledgehammer, wouldn’t you agree? Look at these poor figures hanging by the neck, their faces so… expressively despairing. And that title – "The Honours of the Pantheon"! The inscription above them "Aux grands hommes la patrie reconnaissante", to great men the grateful fatherland. Talk about dripping with irony! It suggests the opposite: What 'honors' are these, when their nation leaves them dangling? Do you notice anything peculiar about the attributes some of these figures hold? Editor: Yes! The one on the left has papers marked “Justice”. The other a moneybag, with coins spilling out, but… they are hung! Is it about how the pursuit of Justice and wealth brings only death? Curator: Perhaps it's less about the destination and more about the means? Could it be that their path, however laudable it may seem at the outset, is corrupt? And thus, it leads to this very… predicament. And that anchor below the figure at the centre… the symbolism is dense with possibilities. Stability turned to stagnation perhaps? Editor: It definitely gives a sense of corruption to this image and also how some "recognitions" are not that great after all. The whole image gets darker! Thank you. Curator: Indeed. Art invites reflection, and reflection changes our perspective. A truly beautiful irony, isn't it?