Manière polie de mettre ... a la porte ... c. 19th century

Here we see Honoré Daumier’s lithograph ‘Manière polie de mettre... à la porte...’, where the artist uses lithography to render an indoor scene. The composition is structured around a central figure in formal attire, aggressively hammering at a door, his body forming a dynamic, diagonal line that thrusts forward. Behind him, a musician plays the violin. The use of hatching and cross-hatching creates tonal variations that give volume and depth to the figures, while the stark contrast between light and shadow amplifies the tension. Daumier masterfully uses line to convey not just form but also emotion, from the bourgeois's anger to the musician's obliviousness. The artwork functions as social commentary; it employs a visual semiotic system to critique bourgeois values, contrasting them with the creative freedom of the artist, challenging the fixed social meanings of class and culture.