Man on the street 1821

Théodore Géricault made this lithograph of a man on the street, sometime in the early 19th century. Lithography is a printmaking technique that allowed artists like Géricault to produce images in multiples, using the chemical repulsion of oil and water. To create this lithograph, Géricault would have drawn on a flat stone surface with a greasy crayon, then treated the stone with acid to fix the design. The stone is then dampened with water, which adheres only to the non-greasy areas. When inked, the ink sticks only to the greasy image, which is then transferred to paper under pressure. Notice the immediacy and directness of the marks that build up the image, particularly in the rendering of the figures. This technique allowed for the relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction of images, making art more accessible, and, in this case, highlighting the plight of the less fortunate. It reminds us of the labor and the economic conditions that shape society.