Angels: 100 Engravings [Paperback]

Dan Malan (Editor), Gustave Doré (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Mce Pub (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963113593
• ISBN-13: 978-0963113597
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,973,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at the work of a little know but great artist, December 2, 2011

By 

Wayne S. Walker "Home School Book Review" (Salem, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angels: 100 Engravings (Paperback)

Paul Gustave Doré (1832-1883) was a French artist, engraver, illustrator and sculptor who worked primarily with wood engraving and steel engraving. Born in Strasbourg, Dore had his first illustrated story published at the age of fifteen. As a young man, he began work as a literary illustrator in Paris, winning commissions to depict scenes from books by Rabelais, Balzac, Milton, Dante, and Lord Byron. Doré's English Bible (1866) was a great success, and in 1867 Doré had a major exhibition of his work in London which led to the foundation of the Doré Gallery in Covelant Bond Street. Doré was mainly celebrated for his paintings in his day, but his woodcuts and engravings, including 10,000 engravings and 3,000 book editions, are what make him famous today.
When we lived in the St. Louis, MO, area, we made the acquaintance of Dan Malan, an art critic who is recognized as an expert on the works of Dore. He wrote Gustave Dore: A Biography which is an in-depth biography of Dore's life and works that contains 300 black and white illustrations. Dan is also the author of Gustave Doré - Adrift on Dreams of Splendor which explores the history of the rise and disappearance of Dore with many photos and detailed information about his works. While Dore's name may not be a household word, his work is all around us, borrowed for various purposes by everyone from Karl Marx to Billy Graham to the front cover of Time Magazine as recently as December 18, 1995.
Dan was kind enough to give me a copy of his book Angels: 100 Engravings by Gustave Dore. It contains engravings devoted specifically to angels reproduced in magenta from Dan's personal collection of nearly 8,000 Dore engravings contained in over 400 book editions. After a short biography of Dore and a chronological list of first book editions of Dore illustrations, the main portion is divided into five chapters, each with a one page explanation of the subject matter, in which angels are depicted as heavenly beings, as messengers and comforters, as warriors and guardians, as good fairies and cupids, and as dragons or fallen angels along with Satan. Each plate is identified as to its source and title. Anyone interested in art history would find this book fascinating.