Alexandre Dupendant Vision of Hell; Satan & Ghoul

An original c.1870 gouache painting – Alexandre Dupendant, Vision of Hell; Satan & Ghoul.

A highly imaginative work in gouache by the French caricaturist and satirical illustrator—and Parisian bohemian—Alexandre Dupendant (1833–1884).

The subject appears to show a satirical vision of Hell in which a demonic figure juggles with diminutive figures of the papacy, and a goat-horned Satan dangles a fishing rod of temptation. The subject is redolent of the visionary, nightmarish illustrations of Victor Hugo (1802–1885).

This is one of a small group of paintings by Alexandre Dupendant that we have for sale, which includes a complementary pair that depicts a vision of calm and peace.

Working during the Paris Commune, Dupendant often painted political or military figures and scenes, including episodes from the Franco-German War of 1870. His work is likened to the caricatural style of Honoré Daumier (1808–1879).

Biographical record of Dupendant is scant. He worked as a lithographer in Paris but is said to have been better known as a local bohemian, an ardent Communard and a cartoonist. He was apparently a regular at a bar in the Latin Quarter called Père Lunette, which notoriously served the lowest in society alongside socialists and anarchists, and where the walls were famously adorned with cartoons and caricatures.

On green-grey paper.