Gustave Doré, calling card 1844 - 1883

This calling card by Gustave Doré is composed of creamy card, framed in black, upon which the artist has penned an invitation. The frenetic, almost chaotic arrangement of lines and curves seems at odds with the card's purpose: a cool and measured announcement of one's presence. The calligraphy seems to defy legibility, almost like an abstraction of language itself. If we think of language as a system of signs, then Doré's handwriting destabilizes the established meanings and categories. The card becomes a game, challenging us to decode its message, reflecting the Symbolist concern with the inner world of dreams and emotions. Each stroke of the pen is a deliberate act, each swirl a gesture towards something beyond mere communication. The card, then, is not just a formality, but a material object which has been transformed into a work of art, challenging our understanding of function, representation, and the very nature of human connection.