Gustave Doré ( * 1832 † 1883 )

Biography of Gustave Doré

Lush and bizarre fantasy

Paul Gustave Doré was born on January 6th Born in Strasbourg, France in 1832. He is considered one of the most important, productive and successful book illustrators and mediators of European culture of the late 19th century.

He was predominantly self-taught and even as a child he showed his inclinations for painting and drawing. In 1845 Doré came to Paris. In 1848 he became an employee of the “Journal pour rire”.

With lush and bizarre imagination, Gustave Doré created dreamy scenes and illustrated works from world literature such as Dante's “Inferno”, Cervantes “Don Quixote”, John Milton's “ Paradise Lost ”, Edgar Allan Poe's“ The Raven ”, works by Homer, Lord Byron, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and many others. The illustration for “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri in 1868 was the culmination of Doré's career.

His diverse oeuvre spans many directions from comics to Bible illustrations. Doré even influenced Hollywood film production. Some representations in the well-known films like, King Kong, some creatures of the Star Wars universe, Totenbaum in "Sleepy Hollow" are similar to Doré's illustrations. He was also active as a painter, draftsman, etcher and later even as a sculptor.

The artist had a peculiar style. He liked to use the Chiaroscuro technique, which contrasts light and dark painting. Fine details, realistic representations of fantastic creatures or showmen gave his paintings a deep and mystical meaning. His drawings appear minimalistic but dramatic, radiate deep emotions and create a powerful image. The works that shaped him were grotesque, macabre, full of fantasy and exaggeration. Gustave Doré documented the Crimean War with his drawings, dealt with the Paris Communards and the proletariat in London and painted many watercolors of landscapes. Two of Doré's most successful oil paintings were "Paolo and Francesca da Rimini" (1863) and "The Neophyte" (1868). Illustrations for the English Bible (1866) and sheets for Charles Perrault's fairy tales were also very successful.

In 1867 Doré had a large exhibition of his works in London. This led to the establishment of the Doré Gallery on New Bond Street.

Doré did not make all of his engravings himself. He had a studio with 40 employees who could satisfy the great demand for Doré's illustrations and drawings. The galleries in Vienna, London and other cities sold his original works, as well as reproductions of the book illustrations, which was financially very profitable for the artist and enabled a carefree life.

Five years before his death, in 1877, he turned Doré of sculpture. Out of passion and without special training, the master created ingenious marble and bronze sculptures that shaped the sculpture art of the 1870s. His last work was a memorial to Alexandre Dumas.

Doré never married and continued to live with his mother in Paris. He worked very productively and diligently, despite this, on the one hand he was plagued by the feeling that he was not done enough and on the other hand he never felt properly understood. Nobody knows how many drawings he made. He worked from early in the morning until late in the evening and made thousands of drawings.

Gustave Doré died of a heart attack on January 23, 1883

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Paul Gustave Doré was born on January 6, 1832, in Strasbourg, France. He is regarded as one of the most significant, prolific, and successful book illustrators and conveyors of European culture in the late 19th century. Predominantly self-taught, he showed an inclination towards painting and drawing from a young age. Doré arrived in Paris in 1845 and by 1848, he was contributing to the "Journal pour rire."

With lavish and bizarre imagination, Gustave Doré created dreamlike scenes and illustrated works of world literature such as Dante's "Inferno," Cervantes' "Don Quixote," John Milton's "Paradise Lost," Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," works by Homer, Lord Byron, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and many others. The illustrations for Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" in 1868 were the crowning achievement of Doré's career.

His diverse oeuvre encompasses many directions from comics to Bible illustrations. Doré even influenced Hollywood film production. Some depictions in well-known films like King Kong, certain creatures in the Star Wars universe, and the Dead Tree in "Sleepy Hollow" resemble Doré's illustrations. He was also active as a painter, draftsman, etcher, and later even as a sculptor.

The artist had a peculiar style. He often used the chiaroscuro technique, contrasting light and dark painting. Fine details and realistic depictions of fantastic creatures or entertainers lent his paintings depth and mystical significance. His drawings appear minimalist yet dramatic, exuding deep emotions and creating a powerful image. Works that shaped him were grotesque, macabre, full of imagination, and exaggerations. Gustave Doré documented the Crimean War with his drawings, dealt with the Parisian Communards and the proletariat in London, and painted many watercolors of landscapes. Two of Doré's most successful oil paintings were "Paolo and Francesca da Rimini" (1863) and "The Neophyte" (1868). Illustrations for the English Bible (1866) and plates for Charles Perrault's fairy tales were also very successful.

In 1867, Doré had a major exhibition of his works in London, leading to the establishment of the Doré Gallery on New Bond Street.

Doré did not create all his engravings himself. He had a studio with 40 employees who could meet the high demand for Doré's illustrations and drawings. Galleries in Vienna, London, and other cities sold his original works as well as reproductions of book illustrations, which was financially very profitable for the artist and allowed for a worry-free life.

Five years before his death, in 1877, Doré turned to sculpture. Out of passion and without special training, the master created ingenious marble and bronze sculptures that shaped the sculpture art of the 1870s. His last work was a monument for Alexandre Dumas.

Doré never married and continued to live with his mother in Paris. He worked very productively and diligently, yet he was tormented by the feeling that he hadn't done enough and never felt truly understood. No one knows how many drawings he made. He worked from early morning until late at night, producing thousands of drawings.

On January 23, 1883, Gustave Doré died from a heart attack.

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All images by Gustave Doré

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