Artist Study - Gustav Doré

Gustav Doré was a French artist, print maker, sculptor and illustrator. He gained his fame by working for newspapers, producing caricature from an early age. Later in life, he illustrated biblical scenes from many poems and novels, his most notable series of prints being Paradise Lost and Dante's Divine Comedy. 

Above are three of my favourite engravings by Doré, each depicting scenes from Dante's epic poem Inferno, during which Dante himself is led through the circles of hell by the ancient poet Virgil. All of the engravings are exceptionally composed, with strong lighting, striking figures and massive attention to detail.

The first picture depicts Dante and Virgil at the entrance to the Gates of Hell. The mise en scene of the piece is very dark and foreboding, and the viewer is immediately drawn to the lightest and darkest points in the picture - the horizon, the figures and the dark cave.

The second image is based in the 9th circle of hell, where those that have committed crimes against god are frozen in the lake for all eternity. They are frozen at various depths on their bodies according to how bad their sin was. I particularly like the ambient light in this engraving, and the faces are noble. The poses are natural (atypical of biblical depictions) and the characters demure.

The third and final image drew me to it because of the lighting again.

Dante is accepted by the great poets in this picture.

Lucifer and his council of angels. This image relies exceptionally on composition, and it's very interesting to me that the darkest point of the picture is not the closest to the viewer - unlike many scenes.

Death portrayed as the grim reaper - sitting on the moon with his Raven.

Dante with Beatrice in Paradise.

All of the engravings contain very stark narrative elements, they have a story-telling element and seem like a snapshot of a scene. I would very much like to study Doré's engravings more and apply his composition and scene-setting skills to my final artwork.