Gustave Doré

Gustave Doré (Strasbourg, 1832 - Paris, 1883) was a French visual artist, illustrator, and engraver. He began his career as an illustrator at the young age of fifteen for the satirical newspaper "Le Journal pour rire." He later gained recognition in illustration competitions for book editions of works by Rabelais, Balzac, Milton, and Dante. In 1853, he was commissioned to illustrate the works of Byron and subsequently a Bible edition. In 1856, he illustrated "The Legend of the Wandering Jew" for a short poem by Pierre-Jean de Béranger, inspired by a novel by Eugène Sue. In the 1860s, he illustrated the French edition of "Don Quixote." His illustrations of Cervantes' hero and his squire, Sancho Panza, became so famous that they influenced readers, artists, as well as theatrical and film directors regarding the appearance of the two characters. His illustrations for the English Bible in 1866 led to a major exhibition in London the following year, resulting in the establishment of the Doré Gallery on Bond Street. In 1869, Blanchard Jerrold proposed a collaboration to create a comprehensive portrait of the city of London. Doré signed a five-year contract with publishers Grant & Co for a substantial sum for the time (£10,000 per year), with the obligation to stay in London for three months each year. The wood engravings and prints he created for this project are among his most significant works. The book "London: A Pilgrimage," featuring 180 of his engravings, was finally published in 1872 and achieved great commercial success, but received negative reviews in the press of the time. Some critiques focused on Doré's apparent "emphasis on the poverty of certain parts of London." "The Art Journal" accused him of "inventing rather than depicting," while the "Westminster Review" wrote that Doré provided sketches with commonplace and vulgarized external features. Despite the negative reviews, Doré received commissions from other British publishers. His later period includes illustrations for works by Thomas Hood, Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Milton's "Paradise Lost," Tennyson's "Idylls of the King," Poe's "The Raven," Dante's "Divine Comedy," and collaboration with "The Illustrated London News." Doré's personal life was solitary: he continued to live with his mother in Paris and illustrate books until his death, after a brief illness, on January 23, 1883, at the age of 51. His grave is located in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.