On the Train -- An Agreeable Neighbor 1862

Curator: Here we have Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "On the Train -- An Agreeable Neighbor," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Intensely awkward! The composition, with its cramped space and stark contrasts, really amplifies that feeling. Curator: Indeed. The artist uses cross-hatching to create a palpable sense of texture, from the man’s coarse beard to the woman's delicate bonnet. Notice how the formal elements reinforce each other. Editor: The man's crossed arms symbolize defensiveness, maybe even hostility. And the woman, gazing blankly out the window...is she an emblem of societal constraint? Curator: It's a brilliant study in visual metaphor, isn't it? Daumier manages to convey so much social commentary through this tightly rendered image. Editor: Right. It's fascinating to consider the psychological weight of these figures, rendered so precisely. Food for thought.