"The war! Save who you can!" c. 19th century

Editor: This is Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "The war! Save who you can!". It's a chaotic scene. What strikes you about it? Curator: Look at the lithographic process itself. The mass production of these prints speaks to Daumier's aim: social commentary accessible to a wide audience. War, here, isn't heroic; it's a commercialized spectacle, consumed and feared. Editor: So the medium is the message, in a way? Curator: Precisely. Consider also the labor involved in producing these images, highlighting the often-overlooked work that brings art to the masses. Editor: That gives me a whole new perspective. I was so focused on the figures; I hadn't considered the printmaking process.