Le sauvage bineau ayant ... c. 19th century

Curator: I am struck by the dynamism in this lithograph. The figure seems to explode with energy, even though it is rendered in such muted tones. Editor: Yes, "Le sauvage Bineau ayant…" which roughly translates to “The savage Bineau at last discovers how to use his bludgeon on the boulevards…”, made by Honoré Daumier around the 19th century. The caricature is really on display. Look at the almost manic energy emanating from Bineau. Daumier really captures the tension. It seems as though, culturally, this relates to public works at the time. Curator: It’s more than just energy. Consider the socio-political implications here. Bineau, representing a perceived “savage,” is literally beating the Parisian boulevards into submission. We can understand this in the context of 19th-century French modernization. The Haussmann renovations in Paris were changing the city's landscape and society at that moment, and not everyone agreed it was an improvement. Daumier uses this figure to critique that force. Editor: See how Daumier creates visual rhythm in the parallel diagonals across the piece; in the bottom left, a series of light colored jagged rocks meets the chaotic strokes of vapor on the right; and in the middle, our central character with book, club, and wild head-tail repeats these angled forms with ever darker shades! Curator: It’s all connected, isn’t it? This Romantic era interest is not just a formal aesthetic, but the lithograph captures the clash of modernity and tradition and asks, what does it really mean to civilize? This speaks volumes about the conflicting values of 19th-century Parisian society. This really represents class and cultural anxieties related to urbanization in a visually striking way. Editor: I see a commentary on chaos and order through purely formal means. A wild and primitive, though highly artificial, depiction, in tension with architectural rendering. What do you take from it overall? Curator: I'm struck by its insight into anxieties around progress and what that can mean in practice, and what the public response to the disruption involved can become. It challenges us to reconsider our understanding of modernization. Editor: It inspires in me thoughts of jagged power from visual elements carefully organized to give a lasting impression of immediacy and excitement.