Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-03-09

Psui Gustave Dore. the celebrated Frr,<s.
ar ist, OF whose serious Illness I'm Paris ths
haps the best known foreign artist 90 IN,
great masses Of people In this country he
cause OF the numerous books which his fAciie
we call 90 mind nante's s.nivina Comm..
ola, with lis Seveaty-Slx wonderful draw
ings-smple procfS OF laborious years when
we remember that dozen other such vol
umes have absorbed vast amount Of time
and meditation. we think OF the great
draughtSman IS q man advanced In years
But again, when we consider that he Is also
great painter. and that his brush has bsea
scarcely less employed than his pencil, We
are sure that his lffe has been not only a long
put full one Fun it certainly has been.
oot not long. Dore stands only midway In
his career. He was horn the January on ISIS.
AZ Strssoourg, and IL now only forty-three
io 800 n ., age. When very young his father
education. He could not remember when he
began 70 draw, 30 early was 10 In his child
d hoo an PCT be Was prodigy, Cor he also
talents Among his first public work were
contributions Of comic aud erotesoue
sketches 20 the journal pour RlreS, in rsss.
Rabelais In 1854. an exhibition OF four naint
tngs I'm less. and In succeeding years the A.
lustrations OF BalEac's "Contes brolo.iques."
works OF Montaigne, Taine's VOYAGE
aux Pyrcnees and the well-known ssIn-
ferno," "Atala Paradise Lost" ssDoa
2uixote, the Bible. "ldylsof the King" &c.
In these fruits OF successive years it may BE-
seen that Dore was not called upon % walk
alone aud uErecognized along the rugged
pauis oi Ms profession. Hts success was
sudden and complete, and the pu bic Interest
awakened In his works was no doubt due 10
me new clements OF vivid imaglnatio0 aud
nlg1fons strength which they brought into
faflslah art His most important paintings
are Paola and Francesca de Rental, y .Tri
0mpn OF StianitN.' ss(iamhli0e Han A.
btoen- Baden, "Soldiers OF the Cross" and
Is a N.WIu H..
BretoTium," ana 1.-The Dream of Plate,
VIE, BON OF which have been frequently
described by foreign correspondents. HIS
canvases are nearly all large aud exhibit in
color the same violent contrasts which in
light and shade, characterize hts drawiagS
IL Is difficult TO define DOre's place in French
art. Critics cOnccde thai he IL a painter Of
grand human scenes, for the realization OF
which he has a delicate pencil and a light
brush, both OF which he holds with n sure
handi that his outlines are fine, his draperics
gracefully flowing, and his grouping OF his
ngureS artistic and effective It il allowed
TOO, mat he has mastered the science OF per
spective and the laws OF motion. In1eef ne
j. said 10 be the sworn enemy OF repOSe, and
TO he often rugged and rude I'm his strength
Certainly as an artist he Is not without
grave faults. The greatest of these is unde-
nlably bis too great and too rapid proiuc-
ton. When once he has conceived his theme
delayis irkSome, even impossible, 70 him
and he goes 20 work with a passionate real
winch exposes him 10 the charge of wanting
IN patient care and study, and 20 the Ques-
tionable compliment CT being too brilliant
Another Serious error As that OF relying alto
gether ON his splendid Imagination. IL has
been his sole means of transi Ga TO the distant
countries, which the works he ILLUSTRATES
often demanded that he should visit The
far- away scenes he has depicted ne never
saw, save with his minds eve and conse-
quently he has missed the inspiring influcncs
OF nature in her many moois and faiIed in
some cases 10 give authentic reproductions
of the customs and manners of various
nations. Not long since n writer in the Lon
don Art Journal pointed out that the tyDeS
OF humanity in Dores pictures are altogether
OF the lower grotesque order, rather than the
ngures, with lofty men and noble expression.
which properly belong I'm the great scenes
and events he has pictured. should his life
be spared, however, lac has time to build ON
the solid foundation OF a genius which even
his most earnest detractOrs cannot gatnsay
him, noble and enduring fame. In 1861
Dore received the Cross OF the Legion of
Honor from Napoleon m. Itwas the expecta-
ton OF the emperor that the artist would
paint picture commemorative OF some Incl
dent of his reign, but the war iE 81 "a even
the studios, aud Dore. who was a. work on
his "ChriSt leaving the PrPtorium" ro,led
up the mammoth painting. buried It. and
betook himself 10 the ramparts, where during
the seige OF Paris he remained on duty. His
studio has often been described, for Id is fire.
q re0Sy sought out by the art lovers who
NSit the French capital. It Is a vast cham
w. in the house, which the bachelor artist
occupies with his widowed mother on one OF
the charming avenues leading from the
Champs Elysees