Stones to Stains: The Drawings of Victor Hugo

This exhibition sheds new light on Hugo’s experimental and enigmatic practice as a draftsman and includes over 75 drawings and photographs spanning the duration of his career.

Poet, novelist, playwright and critic Victor Hugo (1802–1885) was a preeminent figure in the social, political, and cultural life of nineteenth century France. One of the greatest writers of all time, he was also an accomplished draftsman and produced a lesser known but remarkable body of works on paper. Hugo’s drawing practice was largely a private endeavor and although over three thousand sheets by him survive today, they were rarely seen in public during his lifetime. Many were produced during his extended exile on the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey between 1852 and 1870.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.  

Image: Victor Hugo, Ma destinée (My destiny), 1867. Brown ink and wash and white gouache on paper. 6 3/4 × 10 3/8 in. (17.2 × 26.4 cm). Maisons de Victor Hugo, Paris / Guernesey, MVHP.D.927 © Maisons de Victor Hugo, Paris / Guernesey / Roger-Viollet

Whether or not you go, Stones to Stains: The Drawings of Victor Hugo brings together some 120 of the most significant examples of Victor Hugo's works on paper. It features previously unpublished drawings and insightful texts that reveal Hugo's extraordinary talents as a draftsman. Remarkably spontaneous and receptive to the myriad possibilities of medium and materials, Hugo produced experimental and enigmatic compositions, from haunting renditions of castles and ruins to ethereal and abstract forms and stains. This volume includes essays which place Hugo's drawings within the context of artistic movements in 19th-century France, closely examine his cosmic landscapes and visions of the night, delve into Hugo's processing of ideas and imagination, and analyze a central pair of opposing forces in his work--stones and stains. This lavishly illustrated book presents the full breadth of Hugo's talent. Hugo's drawings afford a greater insight into the creative brilliance that brought forth some of the most indelible stories of all time.

Select Stones to Stains: The Drawings of Victor Hugo to learn more, or to place this book in your Amazon shopping cart. Your Amazon purchase through this link generates a small commission that will help to fund the ArtGeek.art search engine.