“I am living a little high up... but at least I am enjoying a beautiful view,” plate 8 from Les Bons Bourgeois 1846

Curator: Looking at this lithograph by Honoré Daumier from 1846, titled “I am living a little high up… but at least I am enjoying a beautiful view,” the phrase reminds me of a modern mantra, but visually, I feel a stark disconnect from anything "beautiful." Editor: Disconnect is interesting… I am drawn to the gentle Romantic-era stylings which is sharply juxtaposed with biting satire here. There's a social commentary at play, typical of Daumier's "Les Bons Bourgeois" series, using this almost genre painting as a vessel for something greater. Curator: Absolutely, the cultural weight of class distinctions is evident. What strikes me is how Daumier uses these almost universally recognisable ‘types’ – the complacent bourgeois gentleman. The height – their elevated social standing – is physically represented, distancing them from the masses implied by that sea of rooftops. The rooftop becoming almost a visual shorthand for separation and possibly exploitation of people lower down on the food chain. Editor: Precisely, this 'view' isn't merely aesthetic; it symbolizes privilege and detachment from the everyday struggles faced on those streets below. It also touches upon France at the time – with burgeoning industrialization and widening social gaps during the July Monarchy. Curator: Note also the composition – the rounded vignette confines the figures, visually tightening that tension. It brings their limitations into focus. How do the nuances of shadow impact this theme for you? Editor: Shadows deepen the emotional and psychological landscape. Light is shed on their faces – not with clarity, but almost harshly; every etched line reveals their self-satisfaction as their gaze dominates that "beautiful view." In his lithographs, Daumier does not hold back when skewering the complacency of the bourgeoisie, does he? Curator: The print serves as a poignant reminder of how imagery shapes our understanding of social strata, perpetuating cultural memory through sharp visual criticism and Daumier understood this perfectly. It’s remarkable how effectively Daumier turns something apparently innocuous—a simple statement about living with a nice view—into an etching about class, wealth, and looking down. Editor: It is. What begins as simple social satire ends up raising difficult questions about the society of that time.