In the absence of any attestation of a connection betweenBalzac and Daumier, it would seem that their trajectories intersected within the editorial offices and publishing houses with which they assiduously collaborated.
It is from this perspective that the Maison de Balzac sets out to establish a parallel between drawing and literature, exploring the link between these two personalities united by their insightful look at their contemporaries, thus sketching an extended picture of society.
This affinity has been frequently underlined, notably by Charles Baudelaire, who asserted that " the true glory and the true mission of Gavarni and Daumier were to complete Balzac, who moreover knew it well, and esteemed them as auxiliaries and commentators."
Date: 22 November 2023 to March 31, 2024
Location: Maison de Balzac
Desire: Literature, drawing, Balzac, Human Comedy
The guards, the lackeys, the grisettes, the cooks, the employees and the small traders occupy a preponderant place both in La Comédie humaine and in Daumier's engraved works. Here as there, observation highlights faults, pettiness and ridicule, without granting great indulgence, but with deep attention to humanity.
The exhibition takes place in the very heart of the residence occupied by Balzac from 1840 to 1847, featuring around sixty engravings by Daumier, accompanied by some of his paintings. This presentation thus offers a unique dialogue between two works which intertwine and complement each other. To broaden and update these perspectives on Parisians, the route also reveals drawings by several contemporary caricaturists and illustrators.
Date: 22 November 2023 to March 31, 2024
Location: Maison de Balzac
Desire: Literature, drawing, Balzac, Human Comedy
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