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Extraordinarily, Gustave Dore never had an art lesson in his life. By the age of 16, however, he was working in Paris as France's most highly-paid illustrator. Over the course of the next few decades he illustrated many classics as well as doing ground-breaking work such as the magnificent (and disturbing) depictions of Victorian London. One of the classics was the Fables of La Fontaine. La Fontaine's poems are not reproduced here but there is a synopsis of each one beneath the relevant print. The prints are all here, and they are all wonderful. Dore depicts people, animals, landscapes both idyllic and spooky, funny situations, poignant situations, tragic situations-he could do it all. Well done to Dover Publications for championing this great artist-they have published much of his work in this attractive softback format, easy to carry about (though also big enough to do the details justice) and very reasonably priced.
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