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Author: Martin Lang, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Fine Art , University of Lincoln
Original article: https://theconversation.com/astonishing-things-the-drawings-of-victor-hugo-at-the-royal-academy-is-dark-and-brilliant-255262
The Royal Academy’s latest exhibition, Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo offers a rare glimpse into the dark and moody world of the renowned writer best known for his novels The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables.
The exhibition is set in exceptionally low lighting, a necessary measure to preserve the fragile drawings, which are usually only accessible under archival conditions. This dim ambience enhances the foreboding atmosphere of Hugo’s works, which are often landscapes featuring cathedrals that appear to be in ruin or emerging from mist or dust clouds.
These drawings are reminiscent of Dennis Creffield’s gestural, energetic and dark, cathedral sketches. Hugo’s are similar, but much smaller and with a more post-apocalyptic and surreal twist.
Titles like The Dead City attest to this, while Breakwater on Jersey, with its obscure imagery that recalls looking up a steep incline towards some towers, evokes a sense of Gothic horror, reminiscent of Dracula.
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Other drawings in the exhibition are more surreal. One features a giant mushroom with a face looming over a desolate landscape, eerily evoking nuclear war (something that Hugo could not have possibly fathomed in 1850). Windmill on the Roof of a Farmhouse depicts a windmill improbably emerging from another building, adding to the surreal quality of Hugo’s work. And, one of the first drawings visitors encounter is of a poisonous tree with a skull emerging from its shadow, setting the tone for the exhibition.
The Serpent resembles a Chinese dragon twisting through the sky over the sea with a mountain obscured in mist below its fire-breathing jaws. The light specs illuminating the water add to the mystery, as the light source itself remains unclear. Is the light emanating from the dragon’s mouth or from behind the mountain? This ambiguity adds to the surreal quality of the work.
The Bowels of Leviathan is one of the largest and most abstract pieces in the exhibition. Loose brushwork, possibly created with a large brush or feather (as suggested by the wall text) fills the surface. Vertical lines appear like prison bars in a dark arch (one of many allusions to Les Misérables in the exhibition), while the title actually refers to the Parisian sewers – a recurring theme in Hugo’s novel.
Several drawings in the exhibition can be interpreted as metaphors for political turmoil. Lighthouse at Casquets, Guernsey features a heavily tilting ship, while Boat without Sails depicts what appears to be a single piece of wood from a ship wreck, or perhaps a raft afloat.
Ship in a Storm further emphasises the theme of stormy waters, reflecting the turbulent political landscape of Hugo’s time. His father was a general in the Napoleonic empire, which crumbled when Victor was 12. He saw the Bourbon monarchy restored, then the revolutions of 1830 and 1848. Not only a witness, Hugo was deeply involved in politics, resulting in his exile to the Chanel Islands, where he made most of the drawings on display, during the reign of Napoleon III.
The Durande Ship After Sinking and The Wreck are positioned on either side of Octopus, a fantastical depiction of what lies beneath the stormy seas. Or perhaps life after the storm, strange and other worldly. There are two versions of Octopus on display, both of which would not look out of place as illustrations for a H.P. Lovecraft novel. These pieces suggest a strange and otherworldly life after turmoil and the sense of uncertainty feels oddly present today.
Hugo’s use of lace imprints and collage, such as postage stamps, was avant-garde for his time. He combined charcoal, pen, brown ink and wash, gouache, graphite, and more, showcasing his experimental approach to art. Compositionally, these works are sophisticated and live up to Van Gogh’s description of them as “astonishing things”.
Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo at the Royal Academy is a captivating exhibition that offers a rare opportunity to experience the dark and surreal world of one of history’s most celebrated writers and artists. The exhibition is a must-see for art lovers and fans of Victor Hugo alike.
Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo is on at the Royal Academy, London until June 29 2025.
Martin Lang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
