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Gustave Doré (1832-83) was the most popular illustrator of all time, both in terms of number
of engravings (10,000+) and number of editions (4,000+). In the forty year
period from 1860-1900 a new Doré illustrated edition was published every eight days! His 238 Bible engravings
were by far the most popular set of illustrations ever done, with nearly 1,000
editions. Yet Doré was much more than just an illustrator. He did over 400 oil paintings. Millions
of people came to see a gallery of his paintings. He also did several hundred
watercolor landscapes and dozens of works of sculpture. He did the monument to
Alexandre Dumas that sits in Paris today.
Why then have so many people never heard of Gustave Doré? They may not be familiar with his name, but his engravings are everywhere,
like on the cover of Time Magazine. Doré is also one of the best kept secrets in Hollywood. His engravings were used in
many classic films like King Kong, Great Expectations,
and The Ten Commandments, as well as many recent films like Amistad, Seven & What Dreams may Come. Doré's name may fade in and out of pop culture usage, but his art has had an
enduring influence to generations of romantics and realists alike.
Gustave Doré was born in Strasbourg, France, in January 1832. He was the ultimate child
prodigy. His earliest dated drawings were from the age of five. The stories of
his early artistic prowess are legendary. By the age of 12 he was carving his
own lithographic stones, making sets of engravings with stories to go with
them. The great French illustrator J. J.Grandville met Gustave and predicted
great artistic success. But no one could have dreamed just how quickly that
success would come.