André Gill
André Gill (17 October 1840 – 1 May 1885) was a French caricaturist. Born Louis-Alexandre Gosset de Guînes at Paris, the son of the Comte de Guînes and Sylvie-Adeline Gosset, Gill studied at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He adopted the pseudonym André Gill in homage to his hero, James Gillray.[1] Gill began illustrating for Le Journal Amusant, but he became known for his work for the weekly four-sheet newspaper La Lune, edited by Francis Polo, in which he drew portraits for a series entitled The Man of the Day. He worked for La Lune from 1865 to 1868. When La Lune was banned, he worked for the periodical L'Éclipse from 1868 to 1876. Gill also drew for famous periodical Le Charivari.
Caricatures
Gill's style, subsequently much imitated, was noted for the enlargement of his subjects' heads, which sat upon undersized bodies..
In 1868, Gill faced a
His fame won him entry into the
In September 1871, Gill caricatured the statesman Adolphe Thiers, who became his favorite target in L'Éclipse, which had resumed publication in June 1871. In 1872, his work for this paper became regular. In an 1873 attack against the government's censorship of his work, Gill drew "L'Enterrement de la caricature" ("The Funeral of Caricature") in which an artist follows a hearse that carries a dog holding a pen and a paintbrush. In 1875, he drew "Le journaliste et l'avenir" ("The Journalist and the Future"), in which a journalist is depicted bound and gagged.
L'Éclipse, which disappeared after 1876, was replaced by the periodical La Lune rousse ("The Red Moon") (1876–1879), of which Gill served as the editor. Refusing to engage in any continuous political struggle, he quarreled with his old friend Jules Vallès. Gill preferred the bohemian life and its excesses.
On 29 July 1881, France changed its censorship laws, allowing that "any newspaper or periodic writing can be published, without preliminary authorization and deposit of guarantee." Gill, however, was not able to enjoy these new journalistic freedoms as he was forced to enter a psychiatric hospital.
Other activities
Gill was named curator of the Musée du Luxembourg on 15 May 1871, in which capacity he reassembled the scattered collections of art and reestablished the museum of sculpture. He had scarcely begun his work when it was interrupted by the upheaval associated with the Paris Commune.
Gill became involved in the Paris Commune. During this conflict, he illustrated for
In 1870,
In 1875, Gill painted the sign that was to suggest the name of the famous night-club Lapin Agile. It was a picture of a rabbit jumping out of a saucepan, and locals began calling their neighborhood night-club "Le Lapin à Gill": "Gill's rabbit". Over time, this name evolved into "Lapin Agile", or "Nimble Rabbit". The sign can still be seen outside the night-club in Rue des Saules, Montmartre, Paris.
Death
Gill succumbed in 1880 to
The small Rue André Gill (perpendicular to the Rue des Martyrs), in the Montmartre district of Paris, is named after him. His bust is situated at the end of the street. In 2000, the bust was found reversed; it has since been restored. The Hotel André Gill is also located on this street.
Gallery
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André Gill, self-portrait. -
Cover of La Lune, illustrated by Gill, 1867. -
Bust of Gill on the Rue André Gill. -
Portrait of Gill by Émile Cohl, 1879.
References
- ^ "| Legion of Honor". Legion of Honor. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ^ "Andre Gill | French caricaturist". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ^ "André Gill". 12 October 2005. Archived from the original on 12 October 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
External links
- Works by André Gill at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about André Gill at Internet Archive
- Gallery of Caricatures by André Gill
- Works by André Gill at HeidICON access via "Gast-Zugang"
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