Victor Hugo’s Drawings

When visiting Victor Hugo’s house in Paris, I was hoping to see again some of Hugo's drawings I saw in the past. But there were only two examples on display (and not the best ones) depicting pieces of furniture. Drawings are fragiles and are only shown during special exhibitions.

 

 

 

 

 

During his life, Victor Hugo produced more than 4000 drawings. He worked on paper (often on vellum paper) with pen, ink washes (black and brown) and occasionally some colours.

 

In his dark brown or black drawings, he sometimes created highlights with white gouache. He experimented with different techniques: using stencils, blotting the paper, printing with laces, scratching the surface… He was able to instil mystery and drama into his works.

 

He had a clear fascination for architecture and liked inventing castles and other buildings. He deployed in his drawing the same avid imagination that feed his literary works.

 

Some more abstract drawing may have come from Spiritualist séances (that he hosted in his home).

 

Below are some of Victor Hugo’s drawings from Wikimedia. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

I kept my favourite for last:

  

Related resources

 

You can see more drawings by Victor Hugo at the following sites:

• Drawings in the Victor Hugo Museum’s collection
• Exhibition at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France