Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravings, especially those illustrating classic books, including 241 illustrating the Bible. These achieved great international success, and he is the best-known artist in this printmaking technique, although his role was normally as the designer only; at the height of his career some 40 block-cutters were employed to cut his drawings onto the wooden printing blocks, usually also signing the image. In all he created some 10,000 illustrations, the most important of which were "duplicated in electrotype shells that were printed ... on cylinder presses", allowing very large print runs as steel engravings, "hypnotizing the widest public ever captured by a major illustrator", and being published simultaneously in many countries. The drawings given to the block-cutters were often surprisingly sketch-like and free.

Biography

Doré was born in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

on 6 January 1832. By age 5 he was a prodigy artist, creating drawings that were mature beyond his years. Seven years later, he began carving in stone. At the age of 15, Doré began his career working as a caricaturist for the French paper ''Le journal pour rire''. The illustrations of

J. J. Grandville ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

have been noted as an influence on his work.Rose, Cynthia. 2020.
J. J. Grandvill: A Matter of Line and Death. The Comics Journal.
' (accessed 19 July 2022) Wood-engraving was his primary method at this time. In the late 1840s and early 1850s, he made several text comics, like ''Les Travaux d'Hercule'' (1847), ''Trois artistes incompris et mécontents'' (1851), ''Les Dés-agréments d'un voyage d'agrément'' (1851) and ''L'Histoire de la Sainte Russie'' (1854). Doré subsequently went on to win commissions to depict scenes from books by Cervantes, Rabelais, Balzac,

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

, and Dante. He also illustrated "Gargantua et Pantagruel" in 1854. In 1853 Doré was asked to illustrate the works of Lord Byron. This commission was followed by additional work for British publishers, including a new illustrated Bible. In 1856 he produced 12 folio-size illustrations of ''The Legend of The Wandering Jew'', which propagated longstanding antisemitic views of the time, for a short poem which Pierre-Jean de Béranger had derived from a novel of Eugène Sue of 1845. Paris-dumas-monument01

In the 1860s he illustrated a French edition of Cervantes's '' Don Quixote'', and his depictions of the knight and his squire, Sancho Panza, became so famous that they influenced subsequent readers, artists, and stage and film directors' ideas of the physical "look" of the two characters. Doré also illustrated an oversized edition of Edgar Allan Poe's " The Raven", an endeavor that earned him 30,000 francs from publisher Harper & Brothers in 1883. The government of France made him a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 1861. Doré's illustrations for the Bible (1866) were a great success, and in 1867 Doré had a major exhibition of his work in London. This exhibition led to the foundation of the Doré Gallery in

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

, London. In 1869,

Blanchard Jerrold William Blanchard Jerrold (London 23 December 1826 – 10 March 1884), was an English journalist and author. Biography He was born in London, the eldest son of the dramatist, Douglas William Jerrold. Due to his disagreements with the practice ...

, the son of Douglas William Jerrold, suggested that they work together to produce a comprehensive portrait of London. Jerrold had obtained the idea from ''The Microcosm of London'' produced by

Rudolph Ackermann Rudolph Ackermann (20 April 1764 in Schneeberg, Electorate of Saxony – 30 March 1834 in Finchley, London) was an Anglo-German bookseller, inventor, lithographer, publisher and businessman. Biography He attended the Latin school in Stollberg ...

, William Pyne, and Thomas Rowlandson (published in three volumes from 1808 to 1810). Doré signed a five-year contract with the publishers Grant & Co that involved his staying in London for three months a year, and he received the vast sum of £10,000 a year for the project. Doré was celebrated for his paintings in his day, but his woodcuts and engravings, like those he did for Jerrold, are where he excelled as an artist with an individual vision. The completed book '' London: A Pilgrimage'', with 180 wood engravings, was published in 1872. It enjoyed commercial and popular success, but the work was disliked by some contemporary British critics, as it appeared to focus on the poverty that existed in parts of London. Doré was accused by '' The Art Journal'' of "inventing rather than copying". The ''Westminster Review'' claimed that "Doré gives us sketches in which the commonest, the vulgarest external features are set down". But they impressed Vincent van Gogh, who painted a version of the ''Prisoners' Round'' in 1890, the year of his death. The book was a financial success, however, and Doré received commissions from other British publishers. Doré's later work included illustrations for new editions of Coleridge's '' Rime of the Ancient Mariner'',

's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

'', Tennyson's ''

Idylls of the King ''Idylls of the King'', published between 1859 and 1885, is a Literature cycle, cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892; Poet Laureate from 1850) which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knig ...

'', ''The Works of Thomas Hood'', and '' The Divine Comedy''. Doré's work also appeared in the weekly newspaper '' The Illustrated London News''.

Death

Doré never married and, following the death of his father in 1849, he continued to live with his mother, illustrating books until his death in Paris on January 23, 1883, following a short illness. At the time of his death, he was working on illustrations for an edition of Shakespeare's plays.

Works

Doré was a prolific artist; thus the following list of works is not complete and it does not include his paintings, sculptures, and many of his journal illustrations:

Reception and legacy

H.P. Lovecraft drew inspiration from Dore's ''Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' illustrations in his formative years.

Gallery

File:024.Jacob Wrestles with the Angel.jpg, '' Jacob wrestling with the angel'', 1855 File:Dore-I had done a hellish thing.jpg, ''Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' File:Dore ridinghood.jpg, '' Little Red Riding Hood'' File:Paradiso Canto 31.jpg, The Empyrean, Dante's '' The Divine Comedy'' File:Gustave dore cendrillon4.JPG, Doré illustrated several

fairy tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

: ''Cendrillon'' (or Cinderella). File:Dore woodcut Divine Comedy 01.jpg, A Doré wood engraving illustration from ''The Divine Comedy'' File:Gustave Doré, A Backstreet in London, 1868, NGA 141211.jpg, Drawing, ''A Backstreet in London'', 1868,

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

File:Dore London.jpg, ''Over London by Rail'' Gustave Doré c 1870. From ''London: A Pilgrimage'' File:Gustave Doré - Ludgate Hill.png, ''Ludgate Hill - A block in the Street'', 1872. From ''London: A Pilgrimage'' File:Gustave dore crusades troubadours singing the glories of the crusades.jpg, ''Crusades troubadours singing the glories of the crusades'' File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore II.jpg, ''Don Quixote'' illustrated by Gustave Doré. File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore III.jpg, ''Don Quixote'' illustrated by Gustave Doré, another one of the 500 pieces Doré created for the work. File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore IV.jpg, Miguel de Cervantes's ''Don Quixote'' illustrated by Gustave Doré File:Don Quijote illustrated by Gustav Dore V.jpg, Another example of ''Don Quixote'' (Don Quijote in Spanish) illustrated by Gustave Doré File:Gustave Dore illustration.jpg, Rabelais's ''Gargantua'' (English translation) File:Confusion of Tongues.png, Engraving ''The Confusion of Tongues'', 1865 File:Idylls of the King 3.jpg, Edyrn with His Lady and Dwarf Journey to Arthur's Court, in ''

'' by Lord Alfred Tennyson, illustrated by Gustave Doré File:La Belle au Bois Dormant - third of six engravings by Gustave Doré.jpg, La Belle au Bois Dormant - third of six engravings by Gustave Doré File:Paris-dumas-monument02.jpg, The Dumas Monument in Paris File:USA-San Francisco-Le Poème de la Vigne by Gustave Doré-3.jpg, ''Le Poème de la Vigne'' or ''The Vintage Vase'', version in San Francisco File:Доре Парка і божок кохання Ерот 1877.jpg, ''Cupid and Time'', modello in terracotta File:LeTemps fauchant les amours.jpg, A clock with ''Time defeating Loves'', cast 1879 File:Maenads in a Wood, by Gustave Dore, 1879, plaster - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - 20180922 150837.jpg, '' Maenads in a Wood'', 1879, plaster modello,

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

File:Gustave Doré - Roland à Roncevaux.jpg, ''Roland à Roncevaux'', private collection, Paris File:Dore, Gustave; La Sainte Trinite.jpg, ''La Sainte Trinité'', Glynn Vivian Art Gallery File:Ecce Homo Gustave Doré.jpg, ''Ecce Homo'', Glynn Vivian Art Gallery File:La folie.jpg, ''La folie'', Glynn Vivian Art Gallery File:Les Oceanides Les Naiades de la mer.jpg, ''

The Oceanids (The Naiads of the Sea) ''The Oceanids (The Naiads of the Sea)'' (french: Les Océanides (Les Naiades de la Mere)) is a painting by Gustave Doré, dated to 1860. It depicts the Oceanids from Greek mythology with Prometheus chained to a rock in the background. The subjec ...

'', 1860s File:Gustave Doré - Paolo and Francesca da Rimini.jpg, ''Paolo and Francesca da Rimini'', 1863 File:Le Christ quittant le prétoire-Gustave Doré (3).jpg, ''Le Christ quittant le prétoire'' 1867–1872, Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art File:Le Christ quittant le prétoire-Gustave Doré (2).jpg, ''Le Christ quittant le prétoire'' File:Paul Gustave Dore Andromeda.jpg, ''Andromeda'', 1869, Chimei Museum, Tainan, Taiwan File:Gustave Doré-Soir en Alsace.jpg, ''Soir en Alsace'', 1869 File:Gustave Dore - La Siesta, Memory of Spain - Google Art Project.jpg, ''La Siesta, Memory of Spain'', c. 1868 File:Gustave Doré - Flower Sellers of London - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Flower Sellers of London'', c. 1875 File:Gustave Doré - Loch Lomond.jpg, '' Loch Lomond'', 1875 File:Gustave Doré - Scottish Highlands - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Landscape in Scotland'', ca. 1875, Toledo Museum of Art File:Gustave Doré - Landscape in Scotland - Walters 372625.jpg, ''Landscape in Scotland'', ca. 1878, Walters Art Museum File:Gustave Doré-Mont Sainte-Odile avec mur païen.jpg, ''Mont Sainte-Odile avec mur païen'', by 1883

References

External links

* * *
Gustave Doré Digital Collection of Illustrations
from the University at Buffalo Libraries * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dore, Gustave 1832 births 1883 deaths 19th-century engravers Artists from Strasbourg 19th-century French painters French Roman Catholics French male painters French illustrators French engravers French wood engravers French caricaturists French comics artists French children's book illustrators Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century illustrators of fairy tales Woodcut designers Painters from Alsace Catholic painters Catholic sculptors Catholic engravers 19th-century French male artists