Gilliatt
1869
This dramatic scene depicts Gilliatt, the tragic hero from Victor Hugo's novel 'Toilers of the Sea,' standing atop the rocks with arms outstretched after a brutal battle with a giant octopus (whose tentacles lurk in the shadows below). François-Nicolas Chifflart, a master of Romantic illustration, fills the sky with ghostly, watching faces, emphasizing the supernatural intensity of man versus nature. The heavy, scratchy lines and deep shadows create a moody, cinematic atmosphere that captures the sheer exhaustion and triumph of the moment.