The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-22
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soHR VIEW BooK3
o.st.vs Dsre.
We are Indebted to tho late Blanchard Jsr
rold for ssympathetic biography Of his friend
(;ustaye Dors u,ondon. W. q. Allen 4 Oo.l
A large octave volume Of some 400 pages MAJ
seem at first sight too large canvas for the
delipsation Of Q life which on the surface. n
all events. was uneventful and unruned. But
as Mr.. Jerrold shows. the ostensibly tranquil
existence OF Gustave Dore had its share Of
unrest and struggle and Of almost traGical dis
appolntm emit His remarkable success "a q
drauQhtsman and illustrator did not reconcile
him to his comparative failure 40 pAinter. and
tho lattcr part OF his life was spent in desperate
cndeavors to reverse the unfavorable verdict
Of the Partisan public regarding his expert.
mcnts on tho higher levels Of pictorial art, II
It were possible for an accomplished man OF
letters. pleading with the earnestness OF de-
voted friend. to modify tho judgment Of con.
noisscura. the feat would doubtless be accom-
plished By the book before ua Asit is. this
tribute Of affection makes known to US man
who was oonsummate mastor Of tho pencil in
certain ways, and who in his private relations
was exemplary and lovsble.
u.
Mr.. Jcrrold beeins BY telling Us that tho
fair. bright- eyed gamin. Paul Gustaye Dor6
was bonn "ooifl6" with caull. as his nurse
relatsd The svcnt took place at Strssbure on
Jan q 1851 While stdn ohtld-about 1841-
yoane DorS went with his family to Bourg.
whittier his father a. chief Government on
ginssr for tho Department Of the Ain. had
been transferred In his biographers opln-
lon. these two dwelling plseos Of his earliest
~ 60
Dor6s Imagination. Tho old cathedral OF
Serasburg was tho stosohouss whence he
drew scores Of pictures breathing the very
spirit Of tho middle asea Afterward at Bourg
ho became daily explorer Of mountains and
pino forests. whose rugged and elevntine
scenes never ceased to haunt his fancy. He
~as not stirred by such soft. sylvan byways as
,Iorut loved. BY tho leafy lanes and Mayside
spisodes Of rural life. It was rather by the
randiosc and solemn aspects Of nature that
lore was affected. and the man whose youth
III loyo OF landscape had been fed among the
.oages and tho Alps mado his last excursions
ut Of Paris to the Right Yaudois and the
lJronees.
He began to draw almost as early as most
children begin to talk His own nurse de-
sribed him IS never without q pencil after his
',urth year. As an infant he would crawl out
I
Aaman. 10 No sails CO que Jai" He could not
4leep. "Jeoe.sr cravonner." he would add. and
hen 60 back to bed with pencil in his hand.
10 would beg his fathers friends to cut his
5encil for him. and to cut It at both ends. SO 1t
would last longer Abd-el-KaSier was. It
seems. the hero OF his childhood. In his nth
,ear he made drawings Of the taking Of Con-
.tantine and the battle OF Mazagran. the vieor
and movement in which ore said to have
-truck those who saw them with amaze,
:nent Dor6 was only IL years old when
he borrowed some photographic stones
md executed several sketches in which
tendency toward tho grotosQue was already
apparent These artistic procliyities caused his
father alarm and even anger: he wanted his boy
o 60 to the Polytechnic school and become an
,ngineor. like himself. or an artillery officer.
In tho hope Of diverting the child from art he
surrounded him with ingenious toys. but in
stead OF playing with these Gustave sketched
them in his copy books In despair the father
bought violin. but this only revealed another
artistic faculty. 1t turned out that Dore was
not only q born draughtsman but n born
musician. One can comprehend the distress
Of . Philistine parent whose sons scrawls COW
cred the walls. shutters. and windows. and
whose nddling could be heard all over the
house.
To his outdoor life in tho country and his
habit Of accompanying his father on long pe-
dsstrian tours Dor6 owed not only his profound
feeling for nature. but also his remarkable
physical vigor. At an early age he was prof.
oient In athletics Before he was nine years old
his Jumps and climbings attra oted the notice Of
the professor Of gymnastics at Strasburg. His
exploits in wrestling and swimming were
One OF his feats was to fix book
t. tnau md hHyu tortr
his head. We arc told that he would take
stick about foot in length. and. holding 1t
between his hands. jump through the ring
made BY It and his body. He could lie upon
his back with his arms across his chest and
rise to his feet without the use OF his hands.
Once. at school. some OF the elder boys. be-
Ing jealous Of HIS popularity. organized q
eabal against him and undertook to thrash
him. Dor6 stood up alone before his assail-
ants and very soon sent them flying. From
that hour his sway was undisputed. The
favorite games OF his school days were matches
ut football and the construction OF snow giants.
To him naturally foil the part Of sculptor Of the
who generally had Goals for eyes
and assumed o rakish aspect with the help Of
an old hat and 0 clay pipe. His love Of carried
lure at this period was spiced with more than
, pinch Of malice. But the time came when he
tons Of Ill nature. As man he disliked satlri-
cal designs, and no WINS glad to DO quit Of
them when no left tho JOui1.a! AE.usanL
II.
His sohoolmastcrs found Dore by no means
. tractable and Industrious student. It was
only by promises that II he obtained prizes ut
the Lyceum no should so with his father to
Paris that he was ut length induced to apply
himself to his lessons. Having carried OF the
prizes. he was taken to Paris In 1S47. at the
Age of Is. His parents Intended to place him
1t the Polytechnic school. but one dry when
they wore out the boy offered some carica-
lures to Aubert & Philippon. the publishers.
Ono OF the lutter. having looked over tho
sketches. wrote to Dor6's parents informing
Them TINT ho could at once make use OF their
son's talent. and would pay for his work. In
Wow Of this proposition the elder Dors was
prevailed upon to ronounce his objections to
Irt considered as u broad winner. and IL was
1eoidod that Gustave should devote him
rolf 20 damn ctronr.