Reading the Bible with the Dead

An analysis of Gustave Doré's The Confusion of Tongues

           This engraving called The Confusion of Tongues was created by Gustave Doré in 1865, who was 33 years old. Gustave Doré was a French artist, printmaker, illustrator and sculptor, but was mainly known for his wood engravings. He completed many world-renowned works that he is still celebrated for to this day. This piece in particular was an engraving that was included in a major exhibition of his work in London in 1867.¹  For his many bible illustrations, he was known to use contrast and chiaroscuro, which is the intense contrast of the paintings light and dark parts for dramatic effect which helps to create an illusion of depth.² The concept of using light and dark in his paintings and engravings could correlate to the events that happened throughout his lifetime.

            The theme of light and dark or “good and bad” was prevalent throughout Gustave Doré’s life. He saw the many wars and revolutions of France, the fall of King Louis-Phillippe, the rise and fall of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, and this rise of the Third Republic which restored the government back to presidents instead of dictators. These following events, shaped Doré’s art.  

             In France during 1848, there was the February Revolution where republican riots forced King Louis-Philippe to abdicate and flee to England. That same year, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte started his term as the first president of the French Republic. Exactly one year after Napoleon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, he became Napoleon III of France in 1851, which ended the Second Republic and created the Second French Empire with him as the dictator. Then came the Crimean war, where France and Britain declared war on Russia in 1853 until 1856. Around 1865, the French were debating whether to withdraw from Mexico, which is when he was engraving The Confusion of Tongues and in 1866 the troops were withdrawn from Mexico which could show the struggle between doing what is perceived as right and wrong. Then in 1871, the Franco-Prussian war ended with France losing and that led to the downfall of Napoleon III and the end of the Second French Empire. Napoleon III went into exile and the Third Republic was declared with Adolphe Thiers beginning his term as president.³ 

            All of these events and whether they represented good or bad was what influenced Doré when creating The Confusion of Tongues; What one perceives to be good, may be bad to someone else. He uses light to highlight certain parts of the engraving, which were the people who were trying to build the Tower of Babel. The darkness comes into play when representing God’s wrath with the people. The dark sky is juxtaposed against the light people, which represents that the people of Babel did not believe what they were doing was wrong. They wanted to build themselves a city and to make a name for [themselves]; otherwise [they] shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen 11:4). However, the Lord knew that this would be bad if the people could reach him in the heavens, so He decided to “confuse their language there so that they will not understand one another’s speech” (Gen 11:7). This is represented by his use of darkness in the clouds when he confused their language and scattered them all around the lands. He was angry at the people for what He believed, and knew, was wrong. 

           This interpretation is still relevant today, with the idea of light and dark and what someone perceives to be good and bad. Gustave Dore's engraving is an important piece of art that will enlighten anybody on the Tower of Babel. 
 

1 Art and the Bible. "Artist: Gustave Doré." Accessed December 15, 2015. http://www.artbible.info/art/biography/gustave-dore. 
2 "Art Glossary." Accessed December 16, 2015. http://www.artbible.info/art/glossary.html#chiaroscuro.
3 "France, 1800–1900 A.D. | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | the Metropolitan Museum of Art." Accessed December 20, 2015. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=10&region=euwf#/Key-Events.

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