Drawings by Gustave Doré in M.V. Dobuzhinsky’s Works

Abstract

The relevance of the article is determined by the fact that drawings by Gustave Doré, one of Mstislav Dobuzhinsky’s favorite artists, reproduced in various publications, have never been the object of special research as artistic sources of this artist’s works.The scientific novelty of this article lies in the fact that it is the first attempt to analyze the influence of Doré’s drawings on Dobuzhinsky’s works. The author applies a complex method that combines a source analysis of the artist’s memoirs and letters and a comparative formal analysis of his works with Doré’s works. The article compares the pictorial motifs in Dobuzhinsky’s drawings with similar motifs in Charles Dickens’ novels “The Old Curiosity Shop” and “Little Dorrit”. These works by Dickens, as well as the motifs that could have attracted Dobuzhinsky’s attention in them, were identified on the basis of an analysis of the artist’s letters. The article reveals that a significant influence on Dobuzhinsky’s works “Barbershop Window” (1906), “Vilna. Nocturnal Scene” (1910), “A Night in St. Petersburg” (1924) and the etching “Roofs” (1901) was rendered by Doré’s drawings “Whitechapel. A Hiding Place”, “Bluegate Fields in Shadwell” and “Over London — by Rail”, made for the book “London. A Pilgrimage” by W.B. Jerrold. The author also finds that Doré’s drawing “Inside the Docks” from this publication influenced Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva’s woodcut “Tackles” (1917). The article identifies the books with illustrations by Gustave Doré, based on which Mstislav Dobuzhinsky and Alexandre Benois became acquainted with this artist’s work.