I'm sure that 85% of the bands in the world have at least once used an engraving of this brilliant and incomparable artist on their cover. And it’s not just engravings that are popular. He has many color paintings. And the names of the groups that placed his work in their windows are by no means modest. Why am I all about music?! His works adorn books, magazines, posters, websites, etc. This is the most popular author in my collection of finds. More than one hundred and ten works. He is two and a half times ahead of the artist, who is second.
And, of course, everyone has heard about him and everyone knows about his works, the number of which is simply huge. And the point is not only that in his engravings (and the story today will focus on the engraving) Heaven, Hell, devils, angels, God and the Devil are depicted, but in the way it is presented, how it is drawn and how it is felt.
Gustave Dore ( full name Paul Gustave Doré was born on January 6, 1832 in Strasbourg, France, the son of Pierre-Louis-Christopher Doré, an engineer and bridge builder. His father was very fond of reading and had a large library, in the books of which young Gustave looked at drawings and engravings. This greatly aroused his passion for drawing. He began drawing at the age of four; by the age of five he was already considered a child prodigy, and at the age of ten he completed a series of illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy.
In 1841, the whole family moved to a town called Bur. The change in the surrounding world had a beneficial effect on the young Gustave, about which he would later write: “These sights were one of my first living impressions. They were the strongest impulses that formed my taste.” Six years later, with their mother, they move again. This time to Paris, where young talent are assigned to the Lyceum Charlemagne, which gives him an excellent education. It is also worth mentioning that during his studies he makes friends who later become famous people.
Gustave knows the value of himself and his talent and, not having had time to properly settle into a new place, goes to the editor-in-chief of the magazine “Journal pour rère” Philippon. He shows him a series of drawings about the exploits of Hercules. Philippon accepts Gustave as an employee with a salary of 5,000 francs per year. Later, at the end of 1847, this series was published in the form of an album entitled “The Labors of Hercules.” Ober, the publisher, wrote in the preface to the album:
“The Labors of Hercules” was conceived, executed and lithographed by a fifteen-year-old artist who learned to draw without a teacher or classical studies. We decided to report this not only to cause special interest public to the works of the young master, but also to mark the beginning of the path of Mr. Doré, who, we believe, will reach amazing heights in art.”
Imagine what an event this was for a fifteen-year-old boy. But really, no one taught him, he did not attend art lectures. He spent many hours walking around the Louvre, looking at paintings and old engravings, trying to adopt the technique of those who painted them.
Has arrived February revolution 1849. Dore was on the streets of Paris almost every evening, watching the movement of the masses and skirmishes, and there was something to see, because what Frenchman doesn’t like to sit on the barricade? At this time, Gustave painted “Louis Philippe - Ex-King of the Puppets” and “Organizational Council of the National Guard,” which quickly became popular.
At the same time, he became the youngest participant in the Salon, where he exhibited his series of drawings “The New Belisarius”, “The Union is Strength” and “Scenes from the Life of Drunkards”. Things work out for him with the Salon a good relationship, and he participates almost every year, showcasing his work, be it prints, paintings or sculpture.
In 1852, Doré ends his relationship with the magazine and devotes himself entirely to illustrations. He starts with the design of not very large and well-known publications, but gradually, groping for his style, he “gains momentum” more and more.
The next years in Dore's life are very fruitful, and some of the most famous works I will note the first independent book “The History of Holy Rus'”, Byron’s illustrations, “Gargantua and Pantagruel”, “The Parisian Menagerie, “Naughty Stories” by Balzac, “ The Divine Comedy", illustrations for the Bible, for the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, the adventures of Baron Munchausen and Don Quixote, for Edgar Poe's Raven and Milton's Paradise Lost.
I have seen many paintings and engravings depicting Heaven and Hell, but only Doré was able to feel the very essence of these places. There are many color horrors and blessings, but Doré's pencil knocks you off your feet with its realism. To be honest, I take his drawings as truth. For some reason, it seems that if Heaven and Hell exist, then they look like this.
In the 1860s, book authors and publishers were seized by a craze - everyone wanted Doré's illustrations in their books. According to the assurances of his friend, B. Jerrold, the number of Doré's drawings reached forty-four thousand by May 1862. And this is all money. Huge money and huge work!
“I saw Gustave earn 10 thousand francs in one morning,” writes the painter Bourdelin. “There were about twenty boards in front of him, he moved from one to another, sketching a drawing with a speed and confidence that was amazing. In one morning he made twenty magnificent drawings. Then he threw his pencils aside with a laugh, threw up his head in a special way and said to me cheerfully: “Not bad morning work-out, My friend. This is enough to feed a family for a year. Don't you think I deserve a good breakfast? I swear I'm hungry for just that amount. Let's go to".
It is known that the artist divided his working day into three parts: the morning was devoted to graphics, the afternoon to painting, and the evening to graphics again.
In 1867, an exhibition of the artist’s works was held in London, which brought him acquaintance with English writers and publishers. He was offered to make a book about the diversity of London, but its publication in 1872 was received coolly by critics. After this, he completed a series of engravings “Versailles and Paris” and about the history of Spain. He continued to illustrate books until his death.
Gustave Dore died of a heart attack at the age of 51 on January 23, 1883, leaving behind an innumerable creative legacy.
The engraving I want to tell you about was created for John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost,” which tells in blank verse about Adam and Eve, their expulsion from Paradise and the war of Good and Evil (no matter how pretentious it may sound today). Milton develops the story of the Bible, in which Satan plays a huge role. He raises a rebellion against the angels, incites Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, his overthrow into Hell, future plans and the struggle and final destruction in the future, after the coming of the Messiah. The poem was first published in ten volumes in 1667, and in the reprint of 1674 the volumes became 12.
Milton's Satan is shown as the Enemy and Archenemy. The name Satan itself is taken from Hebrew root"satan" Originally this word meant an enemy or adversary to people's faith. The Bible applies the same principle. Only this kind of title became the personal name of an angel who became proud and wanted to be equal to God, for which he was cast down to earth. His followers, who turned into demons, also followed there. Milton, however, takes these two concepts and mixes them, presenting Satan not just as an ugly mischief maker and trickster, but as a proud angel in armor, the leader huge army. An angel who, even after a fall, does not give up and believes in success:

"…Let it be so!

He is omnipotent, and might is always right.

Not by reason, but by strength; otherwise

We are equal. Farewell, blessed land!

Hello, sinister world! Hello,

Gehenna beyond measure! Accept

A master whose spirit will not be frightened

Neither time nor space. He's in himself

Found my space and create

In yourself from Heaven - Hell and Heaven from Hell

He can. Wherever I am, it's all the same

I will remain myself - no weaker in this

The one who won the championship by thunder.

An enviable region; He won't cast us out

And it seems to me that even in the abyss power -

A worthy reward. It's better to be

Lord of Hell than servant of Heaven!..."

"...Almighty God

The angry headlong overthrew the obstinate ones,

Engulfed in flames, into bottomless darkness,

To suffer in adamantine chains

And eternal, punishing fire,

For their armed, daring rebellion..."

Andrey "Paatddal" Gerasimov.

The poet reflects on the reason for the disobedience of the first couple - Adam and Eve, who violated the only prohibition of the Creator, and names the culprit for the fall of Adam and Eve: it is Satan, who appeared to them in the guise of the Serpent.

Satan, under the guise of fog, again penetrates Paradise and inhabits the sleeping Serpent, the most cunning of all creatures. In the morning, the Serpent finds Eve and with flattering speeches persuades her to eat the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge. He convinces her that she will not die, and talks about how, thanks to these fruits, he himself gained speech and understanding.

Satan, in his exorbitant pride, rebelled against the Creator, drew part of the Angels into rebellion, but was cast down with them from Heaven to the Underworld, to the region pitch darkness and Chaos. Defeated but immortal, Satan not only does not accept defeat, but also does not repent.

Book I "Lost heaven" - this is the Preface to the poem. Milton in the subsequent presentation will tell about the events, starting from the Fall of Man until the atonement of his guilt by Christ, who accepted death in the name of the salvation of Mankind. But
the narrative begins with the overthrow of Satan, who rebelled against God, from heaven, and then this boundary nevertheless shifts to the moment of the creation of the world.

The action in the poem ends with the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, and the latest information about life on Earth is contained in the story of the Archangel and barely reaches the Great Flood. And the story of the fall of Adam and Eve in Milton begins with the overthrow of Satan and how, having recovered from a many-day unconsciousness from the blow, the fallen angels held a council on how to proceed.

Book II. During the council conducted by Satan, a new tactic of confrontation with Heaven is developed: to wage a hidden war, to try to destroy the harmony of the Divine plan, inclining the new creation of God - Man - to doubt and disobedience. To this end, Satan begins his journey to a new world. Having made his way to the gates of hell, which are guarded by Death (in English language"death" male) and Sin (in English, “sin” is feminine), he promises to rescue both by giving them new world, which he promises to find.

Satan's flight begins with a fall into the abyss, from which he is pushed out by a passing comet; Only having received this strongest impulse does it cope with the immeasurable, insurmountable space and, with the greatest tension of its huge wings, levels its flight. Approaching the Divine world, he finds himself from the world of Chaos to the world of Nature, the idea of ​​which in Milton is associated with harmony and order.

Book III. The approach of Satan to the new world does not go unnoticed by God, who informs the Son that he knows about the plan of the Enemy and that He will allow this plan to be carried out: Satan will be allowed to penetrate the world of Man, whose perfection must be put to the test. It is immediately known that Man will not resist. But no matter how sorry the new creation may be, to interfere with events would mean to question the strict law of free will. Man has to survive the Fall and become mortal.

He will be able to find Heaven again only on the condition that someone voluntarily gives their life for him. God the Son does not hesitate to offer his life in exchange for the salvation of Man and amazes the Father with his greatness.
Approaching the new world, Satan is amazed by its harmony. He reflects on how the world works, what role the Sun plays in it, and which of the shining balls is assigned to Man.

Book IV. Satan is amazed at the sight of Heaven on Earth. Beauty gives rise to repentance in him. But he persists in his arrogance and unwillingness to give in. The second strongest impression on him is the sight of the first people. He admits to himself that he is ready to love them for their perfection, but believes that it is his duty as the leader of the fallen angels to complete his plans.

Satan hears the conversation of people at the Tree of Life, growing next to the Tree of Knowledge, ponders the prohibition associated with it and stops in his plans to kindle the thirst for Knowledge in people. His first attempt to influence Eve through a dream, instilling in her vague thoughts and annoyance, is not completed. His invasion is discovered by the Guardian Angels. Satan's attempt to win them over to his side, accusing them of servility before God, meets with a decisive rebuff: in response, he is accused of servility combined with hypocrisy.

Book V. Eve tells Adam a dream in which Satan promised her that she would become a goddess by eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam discusses the role of Imagination in alliance with Reason and in opposition to it.

Archangel Raphael comes to the first couple to answer Adam’s questions about the structure of the world and the nature of Man. He talks about the angelic essence, that angels have smell, touch, hearing and sight. They burn food, eliminating everything unnecessary, “transforming / the Corporeal into the incorporeal.” Raphael says keywords about human nature:

In response to Adam’s questions about the Enemy, the Archangel talks about Satan’s dispute with Seraphim Abdiel about the nature of Power and exalting, worthy and humiliating submission:

Nature and God
One law says: command
Worthy is He who exceeds his subjects
Dignity. But true slavery
To serve the madman or the rebel,
Who rebels against the Lord,
His superior in everything.
Per. Arc. Steinberg

Satanic doubt in the wisdom of the Divine law is based on the fact that no one remembers his birth, and comes down to disbelief that Angels were created by God, and were not spontaneously generated and are not equal to him in their primordiality (853-871). Book VI. The only book written according to the laws of classical heroic poem, describes the battle of the heavenly armies with the army of Satan. Archangel Raphael tells Adam about the satanic plan to create super-powerful weapons from particles of matter extracted from the fiery bowels of the Earth, and its implementation (472-494). About how God the Son came to the aid of the Archangels, whose forces were in disarray under the pressure of new weapons, how victory was won and Satan was cast out of Heaven. This is how we return to the beginning of the poem.
Book VII. Archangel Raphael tells Adam about the emergence of the plan to create a new world and its implementation after the overthrow of Satan. Before God begins to create the world with the Word, God the Son will fulfill the general engineering plan:

Here, stop the flaming wheels
Rotation, he took a golden compass, -
The product of the Lord's workshops, -
To outline the boundaries of the Universe
And other created things;
And, setting the point in the center,
The other end circled in pitch darkness
The circle of the boundless abyss and commanded:
- From now on, go to this line, world!
Your circumference and border are here!
God creates the world with the Word, separating Light from Darkness, Firmament from Waters, and populates the world with plants, fish and animals. On the seventh day of creation, instead of the Word, music sounds.
The book ends with a praise to the Almighty, in which one of his greatest qualities is called the ability to turn evil into good.

Book VIII. Adam tells the Archangel about his first impressions of the world, about how knowledge about the world and the nature of things entered into him. He wonders about the essence of Knowledge. The Archangel tells him about the wisdom of the structure of the world, about the incomprehensibility of the Divine plan and the futility of trying to know what God has not given to Man to know, about the wisdom of ignorance, the ability “not to poison / With anxious superstition - the delights / of a blissful life.” God only allows people to guess about the structure of the world and reveals his secrets, laughing at people’s attempts to understand them:

He provided the entire universe
For those who like guessing, maybe
Wanting to laugh at them,
Over the pitiful superstition of husbands
Scientists, over fruitless futility
Their future opinions when they
They will number the stars and begin to create
Models of speculative skies
And come up with a lot of systems,
replacing one another, striving for them
To give imaginary credibility. - 72-82.
In a conversation with God, Adam, observing the pairing of all creatures, asks about his loneliness and receives the answer that he was created in the likeness of God, and he is one. Adam doubts the justice of what he heard (but his doubt is within the limits of faith) and claims that the Divine nature is perfect and self-sufficient, and the human nature seeks something similar to itself. God creates Eve for him. Adam reflects on nature earthly Love, her humanity.

Book IX.
Getting used to the Serpent, Satan meets Eve and falsely tells her that he ate the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge and not only did not die, but also acquired the gift of the Word. Eve gives in to temptation. Most of all, she wants to become wise. She is going to hide her act from Adam, be blissful alone and be knowledgeable. But her existence is poisoned by the thought that she probably, as promised, became mortal, could die, and another wife would be created for Adam. She comes up with a decision: Adam must share her fate. Adam is overwhelmed by Eve's confession, but is ready to die with her. The earth groans at the Fall (782-784).
Before the Fall, Adam defines the essence of human nature and speaks of the impossibility of the penetration of Evil without his own will.

Book X. In Heaven they grieve over the Fall of Man, but sorrow dissolves in deep compassion and does not disturb bliss. Changes occur in human nature:
God declares eternal enmity between people and snakes. He appoints Adam to earn bread by the sweat of his brow, and Eve to give birth in pain. God the Son dresses people in the skins of killed animals.
Separated by vast distances from Satan, Sin and Death feel that it is time for them to leave Hell and move to Earth, and they build the strongest bridge connecting Hell and Earth. Sin believes that by rejecting the world, the Creator handed it over to the power of Satan and now he will have to share his power. Satan returns to Hell, gives a speech in the throne room and expects applause, but instead hears the hiss of his comrades who have turned into snakes.

God says that he must let Death into the world in order to “lick all the abomination and devour the dirt” (629-632). With the advent of Death in the world, “the beast rose up / Against the beast, the birds rushed at the birds, / And the fish took up arms against the fish.” At the command of God, the angels shift the Earth's axis by 20 degrees, causing the climate to change and droughts and colds to reign.
Adam is executed by his fate and reproaches God for not asking him for his creation, and is ready to pray to be turned into dust. But he understands that he will have to accept his current living conditions, which he considers immeasurably difficult. He realizes that he would not have accepted such reproaches from his own son, since he would have brought him into the world not by desire, but by nature. Adam is trying to understand what non-existence is and what the relationship is between God and Death: if God is the creator of all things, could he give birth to Death. The realization comes that becoming mortal does not mean ceasing to exist at the moment of the Fall, but living with a terrifying sense of the finitude of one’s own existence.
Eve is ready to beg Heaven that only she be punished. She suggests that Adam should have no offspring, “outwitting the voracious Death,” or commit suicide without cowardly waiting for Death. But Adam remembers: God has ordained that Eve’s descendants will crush the head of the Serpent, which means that in order to take revenge on Satan, one cannot abandon the heirs.

Book XI. The couple's hearts brighten. God the Son says that the fruits suffered and born of the human heart are more valuable than the fruits of any of the trees of paradise. God makes it clear that He deprives Man of bliss not out of cruelty, but in order to heal the defect that arose during the Fall. And Death is delayed for the same thing: “Many days / Granted to you, so that you could, / Having repented, through good deeds / Correct evil.” At the same time, the Man is given advice “Too much / Do not cling with all your soul to things / Which you have no right to possess.”
In order to teach Adam to be wise in earthly existence, Archangel Michael shows him pictures of the future, life on Earth before the Great Flood, the vices that humanity will indulge in, and the many deaths that will have to be experienced. And talks about the art of living. The most cruel thing that awaits Man is the need to relive his youth, beauty and strength. Life will leave him drop by drop. Learning to live means learning not to fall in love with life, but not to hate it either. The main thing is to remember that it was “created / For highest goal, pure and holy." The Archangel shows Adam the life of the camp of “masters and admirers of the arts,” who meanwhile “disdain / Their Creator” and reject his gifts. The Archangel sees their “source of troubles / In the effeminacy of feminine men, / Who need (...) / To preserve their innate dignity.” Then Adam has to see a tribe of warriors who perform “deeds of great heroism, but rejecting true virtues,” and he perceives the Great Flood poured out by God as a just act.

Book XII. Archangel Michael continues his story about the earthly existence of people, about the essence of the Fall and new sins before God. He talks about how people will plan to storm Heaven, wanting to become equal to God, they will begin to build Tower of Babel, for which God will punish them by confusing languages, sending multilingualism and dissonance of incomprehensible words. - 370-379.
The Archangel explains to Adam that healing the flaws caused by the Fall will be painful. In response to the fact that Man rejected the highest true Freedom granted to him to voluntarily serve the forces of Heaven, “God / In retribution, will subject him from without / to the Tyranny of self-appointed leaders.” People “will be deprived of external freedom, after / When they lose, having sinned, / Internal freedom.”
The laws established by God only highlight the sinfulness of Man, but do not eradicate sins and do not atone for them. Redemption can only be brought by righteous blood shed for sinners. Laws exist only for earthly life and prepare for the perception of the eternal Truth during the transition from flesh to spirit, when the whole Earth will again become a Paradise that will surpass Eden.

Archangel Michael and Adam affirm and praise the ability of God, named at the end of Book VII, to transform Evil into Good. Adam recognizes as the highest good “Obedience, love and fear / Give only to God (...) only on him / Depend.” Archangel Michael declares this understanding to be the highest Knowledge:

Having comprehended this, I have mastered the knowledge
Don't get your hopes up completely
For more, at least names
I recognized all the stars and all the ethereal forces,
All the secrets of the abyss, everything that has created
Nature, everything in Heaven, on Earth,
The seas and air were created by the Almighty.

And he calls on Adam to reinforce this Knowledge with deeds and Love for others - “she is the soul / of Everything.” The Archangel names the qualities with the help of which a Man who has lost Paradise will be able to find “another / Within himself, a hundredfold blessed Paradise.
Eve talks about a dream God gave her that gave her peace. She considers it good to leave Paradise with Adam: “Staying alone is equal to / Losing Paradise.” Adam and Eve “Like strangers, (...) hand in hand” leave Paradise.
The author of the retelling is V. V. Rynkevich
Texts used: Chernozemova E. N. John Milton. "Lost heaven"

"Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. Poems by John Milton with 50 paintings by Gustave Doré."
John Milton

St. Petersburg, Edition of A.F. Marx, 1895.

Extra large format: 32 * 40.5cm; , 332, 3 pp.
A copy in a luxurious signed publisher's binding by one of the best masters bookbinding art Tsarist Russia, Supplier of His Yard Imperial Majesty Otto Kirchner. The round spine is skillfully decorated with gold and embossed embossing. The front cover, with a highly artistic composition in the middle, is framed by decorative frames with intricate polychrome arabesque patterns with oriental medieval motifs. On the back cover there is a deep blind inscription: Rep. Kirchner. Small Marine 14.
The publication was made at the highest printing level: expensive ivory paper was delivered by K.P. Pechatkin’s factory in Krasnoe Selo; Supplier font Imperial Court O.I.Leman foundry in St. Petersburg. White moiré endpapers with streaks. Silk lasse.
The book is decorated with 50 full-page paintings by Gustave Doré on separate inserts, not included in the pagination. In front of each illustration there is a protective tracing paper with an excerpt from the text and the Song number.
Translation from English by A.N. Shulgovskaya.

The publication contains full cycle from fifty illustrations by the great Gustave Doré. The book is rightfully considered the best edition of the poem in Russia!

" Lost heaven "- the most famous work English poet, politician and the thinker John Milton (1608-1674). In it, in poetic form, the author conveys biblical story about the fall of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from paradise. The poem paints a psychological picture of the struggle between good and evil, God and Satan, heaven and hell, and poses the problem of freedom of faith, free human personality, free will.
Deep feelings and inspired pictures of nature, emotional descriptions, subtle lyricism, musicality of the verse made Milton's poem a world masterpiece literature XVII century.

"Paradise Regained"- John Milton's second major poem. It consists of 4 books (compared to the 12 books of Paradise Lost) and is the story of how Satan tried to seduce Jesus Christ. The author in the poem focuses on the image of Christ. If Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost were unable to resist temptation, Jesus proves more resistant to temptation. For Milton, Jesus is the ideal human citizen. Despite loneliness and general misunderstanding, Jesus finds the strength to resist the evil reigning in the world and does not deviate one step from his principles, thanks to which he defeats Satan and saves humanity.

Gustave Dore(1832-1883) - an outstanding French illustrator, engraver and painter. Born in Strasbourg in the family of an engineer. Since childhood, he showed a talent for drawing, and literally did not let go of a pencil. Nevertheless, the parents hoped that the young man would enter a polytechnic school. But his passion for drawing won out, although Gustave did not receive any special art education.
In 1847 The Doré family moved to Paris. The fifteen-year-old artist turned to the publisher Charles Philippon, who accepted young man among the employees of "Journal pour rire". For several years, Doré prepared weekly satirical drawings for the magazine.
Since 1848 he began to exhibit in Paris Salon, in 1852 left his job at a magazine to illustrate books. Published in 1854. An inexpensive edition of Rabelais's novel "Gargantua and Pantagruel" with illustrations by Doré became a sensation, and the artist gained unprecedented popularity. In 1855 Balzac's "Naughty Stories" were published, strengthening the fame of the young master. Almost simultaneously, Doré created a series of drawings for his friend Théophile Gautier's novel "Captain Fracasse".
In the 1860s. a fashion for Dora arises, every writer and publisher strives to publish a book with his illustrations. In 1861 the artist begins work on Dante's Divine Comedy - this gigantic work was completed eight years later. In 1862 he published “Fairy Tales” by Perrault and “Fables” by La Fontaine, in 1863 he illustrated “Don Quixote” by Cervantes and “The Adventures of Munchausen” by Raspé, and in 1866 a large series of graphic sheets for the Bible was published. At the same time, Doré is engaged in painting, exhibiting monumental canvases - landscapes and multi-figure compositions.
In 1867 The Doré Gallery opened in London and was a resounding success. The artist arrived in triumph in the English capital and spent three years here, creating 180 engravings for the album "London", published in 1872.
But the most popular were book illustrations Gustave Dore. Among them are "Songs of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge (1875), " Furious Roland"Ariosto (1879), "The Raven" by E. Poe (1883) and many others. In 1878, a deluxe edition of the Russian translation of Milton's "Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained" with illustrations by Doré was published in St. Petersburg (reprinted in 1895 and 1896). The publisher A.F. Marx admitted that “he spent more than two years compiling and preparing this publication.” “It would be good,” he wrote, “if the Russian public accepted this book with even a small share of the love that I did.” put it on her. In undertaking this publication, I do not expect that it will sell out soon, and I know that I will not be able to cover the costs of it for several years, but this only proves that there are idealists who want to work without the hope of immediate benefit."
Around the same time, another St. Petersburg publisher M.O. Wolf approached Dora with a proposal to illustrate “Ruslan and Lyudmila” or “The Demon.” However, these negotiations were unsuccessful. So the illustrations for John Milton's poem remained the only job, created by a brilliant illustrator commissioned by a Russian publisher.

A specimen of magnificent beauty and preservation. Very rare in this form.

• Per. from English A. Steinberg, ed. S. Shervinsky
• Illustrations by G. Dore
• Comment. I. Odakhovskaya

John Milton's (1608-1674) great poem Paradise Lost is published in Arc's outstanding translation. Steinberg. The book reproduces a complete cycle of fifty illustrations by Gustave Doré. Comments are posted page by page. Attached is a prose translation of the poem "Paradise Regained", made in late XIX century, which is an almost perfect interlinear. The book is dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the birth of the poet, whose best works translated into almost all languages ​​of the world and have become an important part of world culture.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Gustave Doré (1832-1883) was born in Strasbourg into the family of an engineer. Since childhood, he showed an ability to draw, and literally did not let go of the pencil. Nevertheless, the parents hoped that the young man would enter a polytechnic school. But his passion for drawing won out, although Gustave did not receive any special art education.

In 1847, the Doré family moved to Paris. The fifteen-year-old artist turned to the publisher Charles Philippon, who accepted the young man as a member of the Journal pour rire staff. For several years, Doré prepared weekly satirical drawings for the magazine. In 1848, he began exhibiting at the Paris Salon; in 1852, he left his job at the magazine to illustrate books. The inexpensive edition of Rabelais's novel "Gargantua and Pantagruel" with illustrations by Doré, published in 1854, became a sensation, and the artist gained unprecedented popularity. In 1855, Balzac's "Naughty Stories" were published, strengthening the fame of the young master. Almost simultaneously, Dore created a series of drawings for his friend Théophile Gautier’s novel “Captain Fracasse”. In the 1860s, a fashion for Dora emerged; every writer and publisher sought to publish a book with his illustrations. In 1861, the artist began work on Dante’s “Divine Comedy” - this gigantic work was completed in 1869. In 1862 he published Perrault's Fairy Tales and La Fontaine's Fables, in 1863 he illustrated Cervantes' Don Quixote and Raspe's The Adventures of Munchausen, and in 1866 a large series of graphic sheets for the Bible was published. At the same time, Doré is engaged in painting, exhibiting monumental canvases - landscapes and multi-figure compositions. In 1867, the Doré Gallery opened in London and was a resounding success. The artist arrived in triumph in the English capital and spent three years here, creating 180 engravings for the London album, published in 1872. But Doré's book illustrations were the most popular. Among them are “Songs of the Ancient Mariner” by Coleridge (1875), “Roland the Furious” by Ariosto (1879), “The Raven” by E. Poe (1883) and many others. In 1878, a deluxe edition of the Russian translation of Milton's Paradise Lost with illustrations by Doré was published in St. Petersburg. The publisher A.F. Marx admitted that he “used more than two years to compile and prepare this publication.” “It would be nice,” he wrote, “if the Russian public accepted this book with even a small share of the love that I put into it. In undertaking this publication, I do not expect that it will sell out soon, and I know that I will not be able to cover the costs of it for several years, but this only proves that there are idealists who want to work without the hope of immediate benefit.” Around the same time, another St. Petersburg publisher M. O. Wolf approached Dora with a proposal to illustrate “Ruslan and Lyudmila” or “The Demon.” However, these negotiations were unsuccessful. So the illustrations for Milton’s poem remained the only work created by the great draftsman commissioned by a Russian publisher.

I'm sure that 85% of the bands in the world have at least once used an engraving of this brilliant and incomparable artist on their cover. And it’s not just engravings that are popular. He has many color paintings. And the names of the groups that placed his work in their windows are by no means modest. Why am I all about music?! His works adorn books, magazines, posters, websites, etc. This is the most popular author in my collection of finds. More than one hundred and ten works. He is two and a half times ahead of the artist, who is second.
And, of course, everyone has heard about him and everyone knows about his works, the number of which is simply huge. And the point is not only that in his engravings (and the story today will focus on the engraving) Heaven, Hell, devils, angels, God and the Devil are depicted, but in the way it is presented, how it is drawn and how it is felt.
Gustave Doré (full name Paul Gustave Doré) was born on January 6, 1832 in Strasbourg, France, the son of Pierre-Louis-Christopher Doré, an engineer and bridge builder. His father was very fond of reading and had a large library, in the books of which young Gustave looked at drawings and engravings. This greatly aroused his passion for drawing. He began drawing at the age of four; by the age of five he was already considered a child prodigy, and at the age of ten he completed a series of illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy.
In 1841, the whole family moved to a town called Bur. The change in the surrounding world had a beneficial effect on the young Gustave, about which he would later write: “These sights were one of my first living impressions. They were the strongest impulses that formed my taste.” Six years later, with their mother, they move again. This time to Paris, where the young talent is sent to the Lyceum Charlemagne, which gives him an excellent education. It is also worth mentioning that during his studies he makes friends who later become famous people.
Gustave knows the value of himself and his talent and, not having had time to properly settle into a new place, goes to the editor-in-chief of the magazine “Journal pour rère” Philippon. He shows him a series of drawings about the exploits of Hercules. Philippon accepts Gustave as an employee with a salary of 5,000 francs per year. Later, at the end of 1847, this series was published in the form of an album entitled “The Labors of Hercules.” Ober, the publisher, wrote in the preface to the album:
“The Labors of Hercules” was conceived, executed and lithographed by a fifteen-year-old artist who learned to draw without a teacher or classical studies. “We decided to announce this not only in order to arouse special public interest in the works of the young master, but also to mark the beginning of the path of Mr. Doré, who, we believe, will reach amazing heights in art.”
Imagine what an event this was for a fifteen-year-old boy. But really, no one taught him, he did not attend art lectures. He spent many hours walking around the Louvre, looking at paintings and old engravings, trying to adopt the technique of those who painted them.
The February Revolution of 1849 came. Dore was on the streets of Paris almost every evening, watching the movement of the masses and skirmishes, and there was something to see, because what Frenchman doesn’t like to sit on the barricade? At this time, Gustave painted “Louis Philippe - Ex-King of the Puppets” and “Organizational Council of the National Guard,” which quickly became popular.
At the same time, he became the youngest participant in the Salon, where he exhibited his series of drawings “The New Belisarius”, “The Union is Strength” and “Scenes from the Life of Drunkards”. He has a good relationship with the Salon, and he participates in it almost every year, showing his work, be it engravings, paintings or sculpture.
In 1852, Doré ends his relationship with the magazine and devotes himself entirely to illustrations. He starts with the design of not very large and well-known publications, but gradually, groping for his style, he “gains momentum” more and more.
The next years in Dore’s life were very fruitful, and among the most famous works I would like to mention the first independent book “The History of Holy Rus'”, illustrations by Byron, “Gargantua and Pantagruel”, “The Parisian Menagerie”, “Naughty Tales” by Balzac, “The Divine Comedy”, illustrations for the Bible , to the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, the adventures of Baron Munchausen and Don Quixote, to Edgar Poe's Raven and Milton's Paradise Lost.
I have seen many paintings and engravings depicting Heaven and Hell, but only Doré was able to feel the very essence of these places. There are many color horrors and blessings, but Doré's pencil knocks you off your feet with its realism. To be honest, I take his drawings as truth. For some reason, it seems that if Heaven and Hell exist, then they look like this.
In the 1860s, book authors and publishers were seized by a craze - everyone wanted Doré's illustrations in their books. According to the assurances of his friend, B. Jerrold, the number of Doré's drawings reached forty-four thousand by May 1862. And this is all money. Huge money and huge work!
“I saw Gustave earn 10 thousand francs in one morning,” writes the painter Bourdelin. “There were about twenty boards in front of him, he moved from one to another, sketching a drawing with a speed and confidence that was amazing. In one morning he made twenty magnificent drawings. Then he threw his pencils aside with a laugh, threw up his head in a special way and said to me cheerfully: “Not a bad morning exercise, my friend. This is enough to feed a family for a year. Don't you think I deserve a good breakfast? I swear I'm hungry for just that amount. Let's go to".
It is known that the artist divided his working day into three parts: the morning was devoted to graphics, the afternoon to painting, and the evening to graphics again.
In 1867, an exhibition of the artist’s works was held in London, which brought him acquaintance with English writers and publishers. He was offered to make a book about the diversity of London, but its publication in 1872 was received coolly by critics. After this, he completed a series of engravings “Versailles and Paris” and about the history of Spain. He continued to illustrate books until his death.
Gustave Dore died of a heart attack at the age of 51 on January 23, 1883, leaving behind an innumerable creative legacy.
The engraving I want to tell you about was created for John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost,” which tells in blank verse about Adam and Eve, their expulsion from Paradise and the war of Good and Evil (no matter how pretentious it may sound today). Milton develops the story of the Bible, in which Satan plays a huge role. He raises a rebellion against the angels, incites Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, his overthrow into Hell, further plans and struggle and final destruction in the future, after the coming of the Messiah. The poem was first published in ten volumes in 1667, and in the reprint of 1674 the volumes became 12.
Milton's Satan is shown as the Enemy and Archenemy. The name Satan itself is taken from the Hebrew root "satan". Originally this word meant an enemy or adversary to people's faith. The Bible applies the same principle. Only this kind of title became the personal name of an angel who became proud and wanted to be equal to God, for which he was cast down to earth. His followers, who turned into demons, also followed there. Milton, however, takes these two concepts and mixes them, presenting Satan not just as an ugly mischief maker and trickster, but as a proud angel in armor, the leader of a huge army. An angel who, even after a fall, does not give up and believes in success:

"…Let it be so!

He is omnipotent, and might is always right.

Not by reason, but by strength; otherwise

We are equal. Farewell, blessed land!

Hello, sinister world! Hello,

Gehenna beyond measure! Accept

A master whose spirit will not be frightened

Neither time nor space. He's in himself

Found my space and create

In yourself from Heaven - Hell and Heaven from Hell

He can. Wherever I am, it's all the same

I will remain myself - no weaker in this

The one who won the championship by thunder.

An enviable region; He won't cast us out

And it seems to me that even in the abyss power -

A worthy reward. It's better to be

Lord of Hell than servant of Heaven!..."

"...Almighty God

The angry headlong overthrew the obstinate ones,

Engulfed in flames, into bottomless darkness,

To suffer in adamantine chains

And eternal, punishing fire,

For their armed, daring rebellion..."

Andrey "Paatddal" Gerasimov.