tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post2705370516921002239..comments2024-03-22T05:09:57.169+00:00Comments on Cloud 109: Light and Shade and the Genius of Gustave DorePeter Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-69961145702494094022011-04-29T17:12:29.438+01:002011-04-29T17:12:29.438+01:00Old wee Phil??? This wee is sooooo old it's f...Old wee Phil??? This wee is sooooo old it's fossilized.Peter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-68734294880957847712011-04-29T12:03:34.251+01:002011-04-29T12:03:34.251+01:00That forthcoming post sounds intriguing Peter - ev...That forthcoming post sounds intriguing Peter - even if certain people do detect a slight hint of old wee in the prospect! ;-)<br /><br />As a matter of interest I've always thought that the lost art of the engraver has a lot in common with the role of the specialist inker in American comic-books. Dan Adkins, for example, was often dismissed as a mere copyist with no original style of his own - yet in spite of his obvious debt to Wally Wood I often found that I actually preferred their work together to that of Wood on his own.<br /><br />However, I'd say that the closest modern equivalent to the likes of Pisan and Pannemaker would have to be the astonishing Canadian artist Gerhard, best known for his long collaboration with Dave Sim on the epic Cerebus series.Phil Rushtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11115717268103349676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-19402739439721953692011-04-29T00:06:01.982+01:002011-04-29T00:06:01.982+01:00Good point Phil and thanks for sharing that inform...Good point Phil and thanks for sharing that information which has got me on the research trail again - nostrils dilated like "Ol Trusty the Bloodhound". You are also neatly anticipating a forthcoming post I'm formulating on the importance of engraving and the effect it had on 19th century illustration.<br /><br />Tom - many thanks for your kind words and I think I'd echo your comments about Dore's Matterhorn illustrations. In fact as a kid I was terrified of all his stuff - it was that powerful!Peter Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566601617123798061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-80726971628355094052011-04-28T23:31:28.852+01:002011-04-28T23:31:28.852+01:00Nice post, I thought I knew about Dore. That secon...Nice post, I thought I knew about Dore. That second of the Matterhorn disaster pics was in a Time Life mountain climbing book we had when I was a kid. That picture fascinated and terrified me, I never knew it was Dore.tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14100881728689912157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816075755902555378.post-63016572812712798142011-04-28T23:30:51.250+01:002011-04-28T23:30:51.250+01:00Fantastic work! - and it's easy to see why Dor...Fantastic work! - and it's easy to see why Doré's commitment to quality over quantity should have struck a particular chord with the person responsible for Ron Embleton's Complete Wulf!<br /><br />However, it's often forgotten that the sheer technical virtuosity which contributed so much to the success of Doré's woodcuts resulted from his decision to assemble a studio of up to forty of the best craftsmen in Europe. While Doré himself drew his designs directly onto the wood the actual engraving was carried out by people such as Pisan, Pannemaker and Jonnard whose signatures often appear alongside that of the artist in the same way that the Dalziel brothers share equal billing with Sir John Tenniel for his Alice illustrations. Unfortunately, towards the end of the nineteenth century the development of modern photoengraving techniques was to leave many of these skilled professionals on the scrapheap...a story that has had all-too many echoes in the present day!Phil Rushtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11115717268103349676noreply@blogger.com