Hopeloze financiële toestand van Frankrijk, 1848 1848

Carel Christiaan Antony Last created this lithograph titled 'Hopeless Financial Situation of France' in 1848. The composition unfolds from left to right, revealing a stark commentary on France's economic woes through caricatured figures and symbolic objects. The artist arranges the figures to create a sense of mounting crisis. On the left, characters discuss financial instruments, while to the right, figures react to the precarious state of a chest overflowing with "Schatkist Billetten," or treasury bills. The structural imbalance of the teetering chest and frantic gestures conveys a sense of imminent collapse. Last uses the formal device of caricature to not only critique but also to deconstruct the illusion of financial stability. Through the semiotic signs of overflowing coffers and distressed figures, Last challenges any fixed notion of national wealth. This deconstruction operates as a criticism of governmental policies and their impact on the populace. The artist uses form to reveal how financial systems, like art, are constructed, interpreted, and ultimately, subject to deconstruction.