“How much I regret. My arms once so strong, my legs never fat and nothing went wrong” (an ancient song), plate 1 from Silhouettes 1840

Curator: This is plate 1 from "Silhouettes", a lithograph created in 1840 by Honoré Daumier. The print on paper currently resides at The Art Institute of Chicago. What strikes you first? Editor: Honestly? The melancholy, or maybe even regret, practically radiates from this old woman's posture. Her silhouette against the youthful reflection is devastatingly poignant. Curator: The print medium, lithography specifically, allowed for relatively inexpensive reproduction. This aligns with Daumier’s career focused on social commentary, and the wider accessibility of his works to a broader audience. Consider how the material contributes to his larger political and social aims. Editor: Right. And the line quality...it's wiry and energetic, yet it underscores the sitter's...sagging quality. I keep imagining the sounds this print might evoke, the scraping of the lithographic crayon on stone, and this heavy sigh of the aged woman. Curator: Exactly! The contrast in depictions. Note the title "Silhouettes," and then there's this older woman presented with exaggerated features, against the idealized image reflected in the mirror behind her, highlighting a passage of time. Also worth observing is how Daumier’s print touches upon popular imagery circulated within the print culture of 19th century France. Editor: It's brutal and tender, isn't it? The title is darkly comical with the stark truth it portrays; the ephemerality of beauty, the quiet agony of aging. I see it as a mirror image for a lot of people looking into what time has done to them, only magnified by art and material. Curator: Considering that Daumier began as a court messenger, then found his artistic stride critiquing political life in publications like “Le Charivari,” we see how deeply linked his subject matter is to his means of production. Editor: You know, the magic trick of great art, in any medium, is making us feel deeply even through harsh critique or difficult subject matter. To be aware of material realities, to produce and replicate… and evoke a powerful story from within those conditions! That, in itself, becomes art in conversation with experience. Curator: A fitting point to pause and let the image resonate further with everyone. Editor: Absolutely. A bittersweet visual song, really.