Art is Life

Using painting as a powerful tool to poke fun at the prevailing social, economic and political condition may not be such a rare thing. But the way this instrument was used by Honoré Daumier (February 26, 1808 – February 10, 1879), a prolific painter, sculptor, lithographer and engraver, boasts of a singularity not seen before or since his lifetime. He used all forms of art, including sculpture, to express his dissatisfaction over the health of the ‘republic’. Daumier believed in equal opportunities for all and did not shy away from showing his disapproval of the maltreatment of the citizens of his country through his works.

The man often dubbed as the ‘Michelangelo of caricature’, whom Baudelaire considered, ‘One of the most important men, I will not say only of caricature, but also of modern art’ died virtually unknown. During the time of his death Daumier, who already lost his sight, was living off the mercy of his friends such as Camille Corot. Perhaps, it is the ignominy of the same society that one of 19th century’s most remarkable artists died a broken man. Courtesy his association with Eugène Delacroix, Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Degas, Corot and art connoisseur Paul Durand-Ruel a considerable amount of his massive collection was saved for future generation to review and admire.

A lifelong devotee of art, Daumier was very fond of Don Quixote since early days. A quixotic treatment of subjects is revealed in almost all his works. But unlike many caricaturists of his time and of later date, he never compromised with artistic sanctity, something which renders greater value to his work. Everybody has a favourite Daumier piece of art which may include the famous Ratapoil, Mother, The Fool or something else. Even the lesser known ones, like the Big, Bold and … Constitutional, do not fail to amaze the viewers. Somewhat expectedly, political establishments never took his work kindly. Many of his lithographs were confiscated. 

Eadweard Muybridge’s life could be a case in point for an argument that suggests fictional stories, however inspired by life, can hardly match the dramas of reality. The photographer who pioneered chronophotography and the study of locomotion alongside Étienne–Jules Marey inspired generations of artists, photographers, filmmakers and creatives of every other field through his art and life. The likes of Francis Bacon, Thomas Eakins and Marcel Duchamp depended on the genius of Eadweard Muybridge to produce their works of art.

Eadweard Muybridge was born on April 9, 1830 in Kingston upon Thames. Son of a prospective businessman, Muybridge thrived in his own business of selling books since an early age. At an age of 25, Muybridge relocated to California at the height of gold rush where his life started unfolding in unexpected often bizarre fashion. Five years after his emigration, Muybridge planned to pay a short visit to England for procuring more books. With his brother looking after his business, he set out in a stagecoach on a fateful day. While approaching Saint Louis, the stagecoach got involved in a terrible accident, killing one of the passengers and severely injuring others, including Muybridge. Muybridge spent months in recuperation with impaired vision, memory and other psychological effects as a result of his traumatic brain injury. As a course of treatment, his doctor suggested him to take up an art form such as photography. Accordingly, in years between 1861 and 1866 he devoted himself in studying photography. A year later he returned to his adopted home, San Francisco as a professional photographer. His prominence rose with his famous landscape photographs of Yosemite Valley.

For modern connoisseurs, Jacob Olie’s camera has become a window to the past, an eye for surveying 19th century Amsterdam in minute details. During his lifetime Olie took thousands of photographs of both the city’s vista and the people living therein. To preserve the sanctity of the flow of time he used candid photography to capture his many now famous street scenes.

Seeing Adolfo Farsari’s photographs Rudyard Kipling commented, ‘Mr Farsari is a nice man, eccentric and an artist, for which peculiarities he makes you pay, but his wares are worth the money….’ Farsari was an adept artist, photographer and entrepreneur. He was born on February 11, 1841 in Vicenza, Italy. He briefly served the Italian military before emigrating to the United States and taking part in the American Civil War. As an artist his talent really blossomed while being in Yokohama, Japan.

Farsari specialised in what is now known as hand–coloured photography. His career as a photographer is intertwined with another talented photographer of his time Tamamura Kozaburo. Together they acquired the Stillfried & Andersen studio and firmly established themselves as the most promising photographers of the country. Colour photography was unheard of then. So, Farsari’s elaborately painted photographs did not take much time to capture the imagination of an international audience. Additionally, the albums were used to be embellished with lacquer, ivory and brocade. Farsari’s understanding of the oriental techniques served him well. Such was the value of these albums that Farsari did not hesitate to present one to Italy’s future king.