“Your honour, she’s just a girl!”. “Your honour, she won’t stop singing this song!” If you are someone who is chronically online, you probably know what meme I’m referring to. It’s this picture often used with a song or a relatable phrase that the lawyer is defending the defendant (which in case of the meme, is us) in the courtroom. But what of its origin? Honore Daumier was a 19th century French artist who started as an errand boy but with the interactions with painters and creators, fell in love with art. Unlike many French artists, he was a voice for the public, not succumbing to the pressure and temptation of the riches, living a poor, debtful life until his later years, where he declined luxury that came with money and corruption and continued to stay simply and with the people. He used Caricature to mock the rich, the bourgeoisie and lawyers and courtiers who fed to the rich and took from the poor. The artwork: Le défenseur, serves as a prime example to show the hypocrisy of lawyers. The lawyer cries and yells and begs in front of the court to prove the defendant’s innocence. But the defendant on the other hand has no remorse, guilt or even a fire to prove herself innocent. Just a smirk and side look, enough to show that despite everything, she had a way to get out; and she'd be saved. Her clothing suggests that she’s rich. And perhaps it’s her money that makes the defense counsel act so emotionally, than practically. This artwork serves as a direct example and a call-out to the French bar and hypocrisy they have in the name of lawyers. A study in 1958 saw it much resembles the law and its vulnerability to unlawful practices. And instead of getting offended, the author appreciates the genius of his work on paper and in sculptures, where he drew most of them with just the memory of the subject then the subject being actually present.
The satirical intention behind this piece of art is phenomenally carried out, from the scale of expressiveness across both the lawyer and whom he defends' faces to the minimal but highly effective shadows, adding depth to the foreground and background effortlessly. This is an incredibly important piece in recognising that satire and comedy has always been a part of art, and that people often still find the same things amusing as they had throughout history.
