The Century illustrated monthly magazine . not an acute bird, but how theartist has presented the image of a witty in-dividual ! And with what a life-giving pencilthe whole figure is put on its feet, what intelli-gent drawing, what a rich, free stroke! Theallusions conveyed in it are to such forgottenthings that it is strange to think the personagewas, only the other year, still contemporane-ous ; that he might have been met, on a fineday, taking a few firm steps in a quiet part ofthe Champs Elysees, with his footman carry-ing a second overcoat and looking doubly tallbehind him. In whatever at
The Century illustrated monthly magazine . not an acute bird, but how theartist has presented the image of a witty in-dividual ! And with what a life-giving pencilthe whole figure is put on its feet, what intelli-gent drawing, what a rich, free stroke! Theallusions conveyed in it are to such forgottenthings that it is strange to think the personagewas, only the other year, still contemporane-ous ; that he might have been met, on a fineday, taking a few firm steps in a quiet part ofthe Champs Elysees, with his footman carry-ing a second overcoat and looking doubly tallbehind him. In whatever attitude Daumierdepicts him, planted as a tiny boxing-master atthe feet of the virtuous colossus in a blouse(whose legs are apart, like those of him ofRhodes), in whom the artist represents thePeople, to watch the match that is about tocome oft between Ratapoil and ]\I. Berryer,or even in the act of lifting the parricidal club of a new gagging law to deal a blow atthe Press, an effiilgent, diligent, sedentary muse 4o8 DAUMIER, (this picture, by the way, is a perfect speci-men of the simple and telHng in political cari-cature) —however, as I say, he takes M. Thiers,there is always a rough indulgence in his crayon,as if he were grateful to him for lending him-self so well. He invented Ratapoil as he appropriatedRobert Macaire, and as a caricaturist he neverfails to put into circulation, when he can, acharacter to whom he may attribute as manyas possible of the affectations or the vices ofthe day. Robert Macaire, an imaginative, aromantic rascal, was the hero of a highly suc-cessful melodrama written for Frederick Le-maitre; but Daumier made him the type ofthe swindler at large, in an age of feverishspeculation — the projector of showy com-panies, the advertiser of worthless is a whole series of drawings descrip-tive of his exploits, a hundred masterly plateswhich, according to M. Champfleury, conse-crated Daumiers reputation. The subject,the legend,
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Keywords: ., bookauthornicolayj, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1890
