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Liberty
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Gustave Doré is best known for his skill as a draftsman (often seen in book illustrations), as well as for his sense of the fantastic and visionary. In the present drawing, his fluid washes and flowing lines of white add to the dramatic scene of a liberating angel breaking chains. The drawing relates to Doré's <em>Defense of Paris (Memories of 1870)</em>, which treated an event from the recent Franco-Prussian War with a figure representing Liberty. A major difference between the painting and the drawing is that Doré represented soldiers in contemporary uniforms in the painting, but in the drawing of Liberty, he conceived a broader theme in which crowns and medieval costumes evoke an earlier time.
| Artist / Maker | Gustave Doré |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1865–75 |
| Culture / Origin | France, 19th century |
| Medium | Brush and brown wash and gray and white gouache with graphite |
| Dimensions | Sheet: 46.5 x 32.9 cm (18 5/16 x 12 15/16 in.) |
| Department | Drawings |
| Type | Drawing |
About the Artist
French illustrator, painter and sculptor, best known for his illustrations of epic literature, such as those by Dante, Cervantes, Hugo, and Milton, as well as contemporary texts, such as those by Balzac. In 1872, he began to record the conditions of London slums. These engravings are rich in dramatic detail and show a harsh and nightmarish world. His work influenced that of Van Gough and later, the Symbolists. Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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