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Gustave Dore, A Master of Good Over Evil

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By Bethany Shepard

April 9, 2022
3:01 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré was born in 1832 in Strasbourg, a town situation near the German-French border. He was an illustrator, painter, sculpture, caricaturist, and comic artist. In 1849, at the ate of 17, he was the highest-paid comic illustrator in France. But he didn’t just influence the 19th century. His art is timeless and, to this day, has an impact on art. His father was an engineer and wanted his son to focus more on education and studying. His mother was more dominant at home, like many French woman of the day. Doré like drawing when he was a child, and his art was a demonstration of his talents and intelligence. Creativity may been in his genes because his family members had a deep interest in music.

The Last Judgment – Picture from The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments books collection published in 1885, Stuttgart-Germany. Drawings by Gustave Dore.(Photo:Nicku /Dreamstime.com)

Doré like drawing when he was a child, and his art was a demonstration of his talents and intelligence. Creativity may been in his genes because his family members had a deep interest in music. Doré went to Paris to study and lived with friends and family. But, when his father passed away, he went back to his home town so he could take care of his family. The need to earn money might be one of the reasons for his productivity and greatness. His artistic talent and extroverted character gave him an opportunity to become a famous artist in the French society of the day.

Daniel in the Lions Den – Picture from The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments books collection published in 1885, Stuttgart-Germany. Drawings by Gustave Dore.(Nicku /Dreamstime.com)

Doré spent his mornings making woodblocks, and he worked in his studio for the rest of the day. He had a desire to illustrate classics like Cervantes, Dante, and the Bible. Had created 241 illustrations of the Bible alone. He had a talent for engraving, and many people admired his work. His first book was published when he was just 19 years old. His illustrations of Dante’s Inferno were considered to be his major success in his life. He worked on the book for 5 years, but he couldn’t find anyone who would publish it. So, he decided to publish it himself. Today, it is the most famous of all of his work.

Doré’s international career had begun with this book, as word about him reached all corners of Europe and some cultural circles in the United States. Following that, he was invited to London, the

Dore Gallery, to have his first exhibition, where his paintings were put on show and for put up sale. Christ Leaving the Praetorium and the Entry into Jerusalem are the most famous drawings in this exhibition. In those days, he visited London annually. Later, he visited Switzerland, and he fell in love with the Alps. Doré drew inspiration from the Alps and used it help him create his natural work of art. Doré noticed that he was a very good landscape painter.

The Franco-Prussian War is an important point that changed his life and the type subjects in his art. Eventually, this war pushed him to be extremely melancholic and depressed so he started producing a more sorrowful side of the French experience. He stayed in Paris to be safe during the war and to stay grounded in reality. He never returned home, and he never married. He passed away on January 23, 1883. After he died, his last sculpture to the French poet Alexandre Dumas was unveiled to the public on the streets of Paris.

The Destruction of Leviathan- Picture from The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments books collection published in 1885, Stuttgart-Germany. Drawings by Gustave Dore.(Photo:Nicku/Dreamstime.com)

Doré was the most famous illustrator of the 19th century. Cinema has been influenced by his illustrations that he created after 1911. His drawings are characterized by skilful nuances of light and shadow, relief and dramatic atmosphere, and his inexhaustible imagination. By introducing new techniques into applied graphics and a number of works (more than 10,000 drawings), Doré marks a turning point in the French art of the 19th century.