LONDON, 23 March 2025 (BSS/AFP) – Renowned French writer Victor Hugo is celebrated for literary masterpieces such as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables. However, an often-overlooked facet of his artistic expression—illustration—is now being brought into the limelight through a remarkable exhibition in London.
Titled Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo, the exhibition, which opened on Friday at the Royal Academy of Arts, explores Hugo’s passion for illustration, marking 140 years since his passing. While Hugo was a towering literary and political figure of 19th-century France, his private sanctuary lay in the intricate world of drawing.
The Artistic Genius Behind the Literary Legend
According to the Royal Academy of Arts, Hugo’s ink and wash compositions—depicting ethereal castles, monstrous figures, and brooding seascapes—exude the same poetic intensity found in his writing. His drawings influenced Romantic and Symbolist poets and inspired numerous artists, including the Surrealists. Vincent van Gogh even likened them to “astonishing things.”
For years, Hugo shared his artwork only with close acquaintances, though he ensured their preservation by donating them to France’s national library. The current exhibition features approximately 70 of his rarely-seen drawings, some of which were last displayed in the United Kingdom over 50 years ago.
Exhibition Highlights
The collection traces Hugo’s artistic evolution, from early caricatures and travel sketches to bold landscapes and abstract experimentation. Many of the showcased works date from 1850 to 1870, a period during which he was exiled to the island of Guernsey following Napoleon III’s coup d’état in 1851.
During his exile, Hugo penned some of his most significant works, including Les Châtiments (The Castigations) and Les Misérables. Simultaneously, his visual artistry flourished, producing some of his most evocative pieces.
| Period | Artistic Focus | Notable Works Displayed |
|---|---|---|
| Early Years | Caricatures & Travel Sketches | Untitled Caricature (c.1830s) |
| Exile in Guernsey (1850-1870) | Dramatic Landscapes & Political Symbolism | Ecce Lex (Behold the Law) – A striking depiction of a hanged man |
| Later Years | Experimentation with Abstraction | Mushroom – An eerie, anthropomorphic toadstool |
Political Symbolism and Enigmatic Imagery
Although Hugo’s literature often tackled stark realities such as social injustice and capital punishment, his drawings oscillate between the tangible and the enigmatic. Ecce Lex, for instance, visually echoes his staunch opposition to the death penalty. Conversely, works like Mushroom venture into surreal and abstract dimensions, hinting at the complexity of his imagination.
A Rare Opportunity
This exhibition not only illuminates Hugo’s artistic genius but also bridges the connection between his visual and literary realms. Running until 29 June, it offers art and literature enthusiasts alike a rare chance to witness an often-overlooked side of one of France’s greatest minds.