Experiencing Melodrama, Imagining Audiences: Perspectives on the Representation of the Melodrama Spectator

This article considers representations of melodrama audiences by Louis-Léopold Boilly and Honoré Daumier and what they may or may not tell us about spectator response. It also looks at emotional response to melodrama as a form of active spectatorship.

THE DISCOMFORT OF THE JULY MONARCHY WITH DAUMIER’S GARGANTUA

Gargantua, a lithograph created by Honoré Daumier in 1831, portrayed the French king Louis-Philippe as a gluttonous giant who devours the labor of his people while sitting in a toilet-like throne, and attacked the king’s person and his government with a satirical manner. Apart from its portrayal of the king as a social cannibal, Gargantua also had a scatological humor by representing the king in defecating. For this reason, this lithograph was by no means tolerated by the July Monarchy that struggled to control over the press by censorship throughout its reign. In this research paper that aims to study the meanings and reasons behind Daumier’s portrayal of king Louis-Philippe as a ravenous giant in Gargantua, it will be discussed why this caricature, which the government both censored and sentenced Daumier to imprisonment and fine penalty, discomforted the king and his government so much. In this context, it will be briefly reviewed the political, economic and social conditions in France before and after the 1830 July Revolution in order to get a better understanding on the political atmosphere during the time when Daumier started to draw satirical caricatures for the journal, La Caricature. Later, it will be discussed Gargantua’s literary references, its implications to king Louis-Philippe and his government, the domestic politics in 1831, and the impact of lithography on increasing power of the press in France. Keywords: Honoré Daumier, Gargantua, lithography, political caricature, printmaking

Disney, Walter Elias (1901–1966)

Walt Disney, (b. 5 December 1901, d. 15 December 1966) born in Chicago and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, was a film producer and entrepreneur who built an entertainment empire on the foundation of his animated cartoons. As a result of Disney’s resounding success and influence, the vast majority of animation studios across the world, at different times, either emulated or reacted against his style and production model. After early business failures, Disney gained worldwide success with the release of the world’s first synchronised sound cartoon and the debut of Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie (1928). The cartoon’s huge popularity permitted Disney to launch the Silly Symphonies series – where he experimented with new animations techniques – leading directly to his first cartoon feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Disney films are known for their Midwestern sensibilities, sentimentality, and a realistic style that aspired to create the ‘illusion of life’. Disney drew upon works by European artists and illustrators including Honoré Daumier, Gustave Doré, Heinrich Kley, Arthur Rackham, and John Tenniel to inspire his staff. Disney provided training for his animators, enrolling them in drawing classes at the Chouinard Art Institute.