The Portland daily press., 1883-01-29
G,,sta.v Dore.

S. G. w. BENJAMIN thinks that Dore's mind
is Teutonic rather than French in character
"a French Albert Durer, to whom existence
is less a comedy than a tragedy, Dore is the
only man in Paris who selects subjects with
moral, as do the English and German artists
His drawing is often defective, and there is
much mannerism. Most of his paintings
would be equally effective in black and white.
His landscapes are finely conceived, but lack
ing in delicacy and refinement of execution.
JaVes says that his predominant trait is fiend-
ish horror. HE transforms all nature into de-
moniacal forces in keeping with weird scenery
invoked by his imagination. He be-
longs to no fixed time. The medieval spirit
of the grotesque is as fresh within him as the
sense of modern caricature. If the
devil has ever created such an office as design
er-in-chief to hell, it is now filled by Dore."
A writer in the London World of November
l, 1876, gives the following account of his per.
sonal characteristics;
"Gustav Dore is solitary man. Since he
was boy, and the delight of that Bohemian
club of men OF genius, where art and song
and wit and humor, filed the laughing hours
in the cG0edu behind Notre Dame de Lorette,
it is doubtful whether he has even been seen
in cafe. He delights in saying that he
lives the life or an Arab. Plain living and
high thinking are his choice, albeit ali forms
of luxury are at his command. During the %
years we have known him he has lived in his
mothers house, in the Rue st. Dominique st.
Germain in the midst of ministries, embas-
sizes, and sombre hotels of the old aristocracy.
Dore has not, in his address, the ceremonial
courtesies of the conventional Frenchman.
His face brghtens swiftly as Dickens's used,
and he gets quickly through the bandlites Of
meeting to touch the subject on which his
vehement, unresting mind is bent. If he be
in sad or moody temper you will see and feel
it at once, as he leads you 10 his workplace;
for he must get on with his work while he
talks, Ii he has grievance or wrong, you
will know it. He is incapable of concealment,
He will throw down pencil or brush, or graver,
toss his hair back, and give you, in burst OF
anger, all that is upon his mind. Gustav Dore
makes no mystery of his art, like many poseurs
who are not worthy to light him to bed. He
is open to discuss his plans with any friend for
whose opinion he has the least respect He is
thankful for suggestion; II it touches him,
his fine, penetrating eyes are raised from his
drawing, fixed intently upon you, His earn
estness never knows abatement. He has that
in an extraordinary degree which Lord Lytton
has called the best majesty in man. So that
you can seldom tempt him out of the realms of
art. 1t is his work and his play.
"Dore goes into the world He is to be seen
on first nights at the theatre; he is steady
frequenter of the opera; and in the season he
is at the great official receptions, the embassy
festivities, and the most brilliant of the private
soirees; but he is not fond of society, for the
sufficient reason that it interferes with his art
Although, through long, hot evening he viii
take nothing more than couple of glasses of
water, the heat and the crowd and the
talk tell upon him, ana he wants a cool,
refreshed brain and steady pulse at 6
o'clock in the morning His pleasure is his
quiet evening at home, talk in the company of
few cultivated friends-he affects the society
of doctors northumberland music among mn
sicians, and without an audience of mere tot
lettes''