Killing Time... 1855

Editor: This is Honoré Daumier's "Killing Time..." It looks like a lithograph, printed on newspaper. I’m struck by the impatience radiating from the figures overlooking the city. What's your take? Curator: Ah, Daumier! He was so good at capturing the human condition. I see a biting satire of the bourgeoisie, these figures impatiently waiting for the Paris Exposition to open. The gargoyle-like figures mirror the grotesque eagerness for entertainment, don’t you think? I wonder, are we so different today, always seeking the next big thing? Editor: I never thought of it that way, that's insightful. Now I see a reflection of our modern-day FOMO, cleverly disguised in 19th-century garb. Curator: Exactly! Art, like a good mirror, helps us see ourselves in different eras, doesn't it?