Faisons semblant de dormier ... c. 19th century

Curator: Right, let's have a look at "Faisons semblant de dormir..."—"Let's pretend to sleep"—a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, from around the 19th century. I have always been captivated by the way Daumier used seeming stillness to mock social dynamics. Editor: What strikes me immediately is the visual weight, that density achieved through line and the sense of weary suspension; those figures slumped. And you have the social satire, naturally! I imagine all that political backstabbing, literally lulling you to sleep! It suggests exhaustion bred from constant, possibly fruitless debate, which also gives it a deeply contemporary feel, you know? Curator: Yes, Daumier was a master of revealing human foibles. And the materiality of the print itself, being a lithograph—you can feel the quick, almost frantic mark-making as if he was desperately trying to capture the moment before it vanished. But, there's also that very specific commentary of class that permeates it all. These aren't labourers taking a break from grueling labor. Editor: True, the lithographic process would allow for mass production of this kind of satirical critique. Cheaper, faster, more available; disseminating the idea of laziness in parliament… So how complicit is he, I wonder? The immediacy of his mark-making becomes a social record too. It makes me think about distribution, readership, and of the rising bourgeois and their anxieties, who would consume such a print with their coffee in the morning. Curator: I love that you consider the consumption here. This caricature almost begs you to fill in the narrative gaps – the subtle shift in posture, suggesting concealed animosity. Each choice adds layers to Daumier's jab at societal facade. And you’re right, seeing these men supposedly escaping tedious processes of governance mirrored in his own process is fascinating. Editor: Ultimately, it seems we're both charmed by this blend of mordant wit and sharp observations on 19th-century Parisian society, captured through such clever, economic artistic means. Curator: Absolutely. This particular work reminds us of art's power to provoke, record and to connect across time through its insightful storytelling—regardless of how sleep-inducing that story appears on the surface.