Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa Having a Rest under a Tree 1855

Editor: We're looking at "Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa Having a Rest under a Tree," an oil painting by Honoré Daumier from 1855. There’s a sense of weariness in this image; the figures seem so still against a very muted landscape. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Well, looking at this from a materialist perspective, notice how Daumier renders the scene with these thick, almost muddy strokes of paint. The materiality itself speaks to the toils of labor. How does the application of paint impact the feeling of the narrative? Editor: It definitely emphasizes the figures’ fatigue and struggle. I guess it mirrors the difficult realities they face in Cervantes' story, even romantic heroes like Don Quixote are not excluded from needing rest after difficult journeys and failed pursuits. Curator: Exactly! Daumier used lithography extensively to comment on social issues; think about that democratized medium here expressed through oil paint and the elevated form of the heroic figure, who are we making a hero here? Is it the individual, the myth, or the workingman who continues even after failing? He isn't portraying gods or royalty but ordinary figures in a recognizable, albeit romanticized, landscape. What do you make of the context of the artwork's time? Editor: Romanticism focused so much on emotions and individualism, which you see here, but this image also seems to be commenting on those very themes, maybe a pre-cursor to realism? This invites contemplation on not only the emotions of these people but also their tangible circumstances. Curator: Precisely! So, thinking about it, how can we view Daumier's choice of oil, typically reserved for high art, and subject matter here in connection to his lithographic work commenting on social issues? Editor: So it blurs the lines between "high" and "low" art to ask questions about society? High art to ask viewers to focus on low labor conditions! Thank you! Curator: Yes! Considering the means of production really transforms how we appreciate the piece.