Leaving School 1848

Curator: This is Honoré Daumier's oil on canvas from 1848 entitled "Leaving School." Editor: My initial impression is that this piece feels…stifled. The palette is muted, almost monochromatic, with heavy shadows that seem to press down on the figures. The impasto is really noticeable here, the texture lends a feeling of…oppression, almost. Curator: Considering Daumier’s social commentary, it makes sense. The loose brushwork and restricted colors align with a Romantic sensibility while depicting the reality of 19th-century working-class children. These are likely girls from a very poor background. Observe how the head coverings unify them as a collective. Editor: And what about the physical creation itself? I'm drawn to how Daumier uses layering and underpainting to create depth, which gives a palpable sense of the sheer labor that went into its creation, and echoes, I think, the weight of daily toil carried by the young subjects in their society. Is it typical for Daumier to utilize impasto to this extent? Curator: Frequently. Daumier was making lithographs at the time for newspapers that detailed Parisian daily life. “Leaving School” allows Daumier to display genre painting beyond lithography, and to engage Romantic-era concepts to elicit particular sentiments in an increasingly democratic art market. It reflects the changing socio-political landscape of France. He is consciously making choices about visibility and invisibility. Editor: That definitely reframes it. It’s a fascinating commentary on how labor, art, and the social sphere can be interwoven through Daumier’s particular style and the distribution network he utilized. Curator: Absolutely. The act of viewing and consumption also becomes politicized within such social contexts. By depicting these girls, he encourages engagement. Editor: Well, viewing this today certainly sparked more thought than just seeing figures emerge from the darkness! Curator: Agreed, Daumier urges us to recognize and question the established social framework via his conscious methodology.