That's the second time this week you've come home at midnight . . . c. 19th century

Curator: Let's consider this lithograph by Paul Gavarni, titled "That's the second time this week you've come home at midnight . . .," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It has a distinctly melancholy mood, don't you think? The composition, with its stark blacks and whites, creates a sense of tension. Curator: Indeed. Gavarni's skillful use of line and shadow creates a scene that is both intimate and confrontational. Note the figure's turban, a visual element that creates a point of tension. Editor: The material of the bedclothes seems coarsely rendered, doesn't it? It gives the impression of a domestic space worn down through routine. What does it mean? Curator: Perhaps reflecting the strain within this domesticity, or a societal critique regarding marital relations and power dynamics in 19th-century France. Editor: It leaves one thinking about the nature of labor within a marriage, and the silent negotiations embedded in domestic life. Curator: Precisely. Gavarni captures something acutely observed.