Doré : master of imagination
(Book)

Simultaneously published in French as 'Gustave Doré (1832-1883) : l'imaginaire au pouvoir'.

"This catalogue was published on the occasion of the exhibition ... Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 18 February-11 May, 2014; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 13 June-14 September, 2014"--Preliminary paging.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-331) and index.

"Hailed as "the most illustrious of illustrators" by his contemporaries, Gustave Doré's engravings are still renowned today. His drawings appeared regularly in many historic nineteenth-century newspapers, such as the Pictorial Times or The Illustrated London News, and his illustrations for Cervantes's Don Quixote, Milton's Paradise Lost, Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, Perrault's Fairy Tales, La Fontaine's Fables, Dante's Inferno, and the Holy Bible have ensured his place in our collective memory. Yet, the extent of Doré's genius remains largely unsung; he was both a prolific and protean artist, and a virtuoso in several disciplines. In his engravings, paintings, and sculptures, he alternated between historical, genre, and landscape tableaux, mastering monumental ensembles just as skilfully as modest, intimate, or farcical scenes. From oils on canvas in flamboyant tones to watercolours and wash drawings, Doré is an indisputable master of colour and material. His oeuvre also spans eras and geographical regions from Europe to the United States or Russia revealing his insatiable curiosity through a vast range of themes. Doré's multi-faceted work continues to provide a rich source of inspiration for cinema and comic arts alike, inscribing his enduring legacy in popular culture today."--P. [4] of cover.