J.I.I. Grandville [Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard]
(1803–)
(–1847)
J.I.I. Grandville [Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard]
1803–1847
Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard (1803–1847), known by his pseudonym J.I.I. Grandville, was a renowned French illustrator and caricaturist known for his fantasist and proto-Surrealist work during the nineteenth century. His work lay in political cartoons and satirical caricatures. Grandville's distinctive drawings captivated audiences with their seamless blend of human and animal characteristics. Born in Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, in northeastern France, Grandville's artistic journey began under the teaching of his father, a miniature painter.
Grandville moved to Paris at the age of 21, where his lithograph collection titled Les Tribulations de la petite propriété, 1826, [The Trials of Owning a Small Estate] was soon to be published. It was through his renowned series, Les Métamorphoses du jour, 1828 [Present-day Metamorphoses], consisting of 70 scenes depicting human-animal figures enacting the human comedy, that marked a turning point in his reputation.
Grandville actively contributed his drawings to numerous periodicals, including La Caricature and Le Charivari, where his political caricatures and illustrations for literature gained widespread popularity. His caricatures, a blend of half human / half animals, were depicted with big heads and are believed to be one of the sources for Lewis Caroll’s illustrations for Alice in Wonderland.