Dore

Gustav Dore was a 19th century artist who worked across a variety of media, including pen and ink caricatures, oil paintings, and wood and metal engraving. Most, but not all, of his artwork involved exceptionally detailed illustrations of popular myths and legends. The print shown here is his illustration of the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (more appropriately, the town rat and the country rat, since this is an illustration from La Fontaine's version of the fable). Unlike many illustrations, Dore's contains visible action, capturing the two mice at the exact moment of being alarmed, with objects falling all around them. Click the image for a full-size version, it's worth looking at closely.