The Art of Victor Hugo

The other day I was lucky enough to get to see Les Miserables at the 5th Avenue Theater downtown. I had only ever heard the soundtrack and seen the film, so getting to enjoy both together was such a treat! One thing that stood out to me was the scenery backdrops. In reading the program, I learned that they were paintings of and based off of some of Victor Hugo's actual artwork! They say that had he chosen to pursue a career as an artist he could have been among the best and most innovative of his century. It's always amazing to me to learn about people who are just so beyond brilliant and gifted in so many areas. Don't you think? Anyways, here's a sample of his art I thought you might enjoy. Some of it still seems so modern....

Classic Cabaret

Gay men aren't the only ones who love Cabaret!

Women In Art

Caspar Freidrich's Desolate Graves

In my modern art history class today we had a presentation on Romantic landscape painters. When a painting by Caspar Freidrich (1774-1840) came up I was immediately in love. Freidrich painted several images of dark, spooky grave sites that are just so wonderfully haunting that it's easy to get lost inside them wondering around in the stuff of nightmares. 

The Abbey in the Oakwood (1809-10)

Monastery Graveyard in the Snow (1819)

The Cemetery Entrance (1825)

Monument to Goethe (1835)

Winter (1808)

Ruins of Eldena (1824-25) - not of a graveyard but ruins are the next best thing

The Dreamer (1820-40) - again not a graveyard but I just couldn't leave it out