Gabriel BELOT

Gabriel Belot’s first woodcuts date back to 1913.  By then, however, this artist born in poverty, and who had been orphaned by 8, had already spent many years working for a book binder.  Mostly a self-taught printmaker, he approached woodcuts with a simple technique and committed to using the grain of the wood to render his subjects with grace.  His subjects were diversified with a clear predilection for the many great views of Paris.  However, he did not shy away from figures and landscapes.  An illustrator at heart, he contributed his talent to quite a few books, magazines and other publications.  He created series of woodcuts for Anatole France’s “Crainquebille” and Romain Rolland’s “Pierre et Luce”, to name just two.  The appeal for his black and white and his color woodcuts has grown because of the growing interest in illustrators and in French art between both World Wars.