New! The Vale of Tears – Gustave Doré – Catholic Art Print – Archival Quality

“The Valley of Tears” is a painting by the great Gustave Doré. It shows Christ in the background, carrying his cross through rocky terrain, signaling the crowd behind him to follow. This life we live is frequently described as a valley of tears because there is often so much suffering in our lives, often lasting for so long. We the viewers are included in this painting, just beyond the edge of the visible crowd, as we are part of who Jesus is reaching to. The picture is illustrating Matthew 11:28, where Christ says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré (1832-1883) was one of the great engravers of the 19th Century. He is mainly remembered for his magnificent Bible scenes. Besides engraving, he also did a number of large-scale paintings, of which this is one. He worked on it for years, finishing it in 1883. Original is oil on canvas. Original size is epic, 162.8 in × 247 in. Title in French: La Vallée de Larmes. Of course, we have numerous other Doré paintings or paintings inspired by his engravings we expect to add to our offerings, if it please the Lord. (source: petitpalais.paris.fr)

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border around the image. Approximately 0.5" wide for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17 and 16x20. For the two poster sizes, 18x24 and 24x36, we use 0.5" borders. We do this because the ratio of the rectangle of the art almost never matches the rectangle of the paper, and if it did happen to match one size, it would not match the others. Most fine art printers do this because otherwise they’d have to crop the art or warp it to make it fit the paper. The border looks good. It gives the picture a faux matted appearance.

There is almost always a little more border either on the left-right sides, or the top-bottom, depending on whether the ratio of the art is wider or taller than the paper.

We make Archival Quality fine art prints:

– Acid-free paper

– Archival pigments

– Cardboard backer for sizes 11x14 and less.

– Above story of the art

– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal-clear bag.

– Rated to last 200+ years without fading if kept dry and out of the direct sun.

Thanks for your interest!

+JMJ+

Sue & John

Lincoln, Nebraska

“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art.”

~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and any image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – CatholicArtAndJewelry.com.