André JUILLARD Selling Exhibition Mezek April 29th to May ...From the 17th century (The 7 Lives of...
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From the 17th century (The 7 Lives of the Hawk, Feather Wind) to contemporary stories (Lena, The Blue Book) via the Fifties (Blake & Mortimer), the drawing of André Juillard reflects perfectly the spirit of each era. Written by Yann and published in the “Signé” collection from Lombard *, Mezek takes place during the state of Israel’s war of independence. A tale of aviation provides the framework for a psychological drama as unexpected as it is complex. It is the ideal opportunity for the Galerie Champaka to welcome André Juillard. Thirty original pages highlight his sense of narrative and colouring. His sketches show a commitment to extraordinary accuracy. In addition, large format prints have been made especially for this exhibition. Let’s talk with the master of the realistic Clear Line. So far, your stories have spotlighted one single female character at a time ... André Juillard: I tend to always draw the same type of woman, based on my own, it seems. But in “Mezek, there are three women. So I had to force myself to distinguish them by more than their hair colour. What role do you attribute to the “nude”in your work? A.J.: The nude is a theme as old as art, an essential exercise or an end in itself. Mastering the human body can, perhaps, allow you to draw anything. Many artists hope their writer will not include bikes or planes! A.J.: It’s the same about cars, but that does not scare me. In view of the storyline that Yann presented to me, I’m even having to draw more! With the sort of proper documentation which Yann sourced for me abd which I found myself, it is not a problem, especially since I own small models of planes that have been of considerable help in finding points of view that are rarely shown in magazines or on the Internet. Discovering your original pages, coloured directly, is still a marvelous moment. What is your process? A.J.: As with my other albums, I always try to find a general tonality. Here, ochre and grey-green dominate: we are in a military world. I work in sequences of 8 to 10 pages beginning most often with the sky, then the faces and bodies, then the shading, from the lightest to the darkest, and I conclude with the shadows and bright colours that apply, most of the time, only to details (aircraft markings, a windsock on the airfield, etc.). Within this story, as well as in some of the new illustrations made for the exhibition, you often evoke the element of water ... A.J.: AJ: Well, Bjorn is often found on the beach, alone or in charming company, perhaps, like Léna (conceived by Pierre Christin), so he can cleanse himself of all the dirt cluttering up his memory. * The album is published in French on April 22nd 2011. André JUILLARD Selling Exhibition Mezek April 29th to May 22nd 2011 Galerie Champaka 27, rue Ernest Allard B-1000 Bruxelles - Belgium Tel : + 32 2 514 91 52 Fax : + 32 2 346 16 09 [email protected] www.galeriechampaka.com Opening Hours : • Monday and Tuesday : by appointement • Wednesday to Saturday : 11.00 to 18.30 • Sunday : 10.30 to 13.30 Press : Viviane Vandeninden [email protected] Tel: + 32 2 351 26 10 GSM: + 32 472 31 55 37
Transcript of André JUILLARD Selling Exhibition Mezek April 29th to May ...From the 17th century (The 7 Lives of...
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From the 17th century (The 7 Lives of the Hawk, Feather Wind) to contemporary stories
(Lena, The Blue Book) via the Fifties (Blake & Mortimer), the drawing of André Juillard reflects
perfectly the spirit of each era. Written by Yann and published in the “Signé” collection
from Lombard *, Mezek takes place during the state of Israel’s war of independence. A
tale of aviation provides the framework for a psychological drama as unexpected as it is
complex. It is the ideal opportunity for the Galerie Champaka to welcome André Juillard.
Thirty original pages highlight his sense of narrative and colouring. His sketches show a
commitment to extraordinary accuracy. In addition, large format prints have been made
especially for this exhibition. Let’s talk with the master of the realistic Clear Line.
So far, your stories have spotlighted one single female character at a time ...André Juillard: I tend to always draw the same type of woman, based on my own, it seems. But in “Mezek, there are three women. So I had to force myself to distinguish them by more than their hair colour.
What role do you attribute to the “nude”in your work? A.J.: The nude is a theme as old as art, an essential exercise or an end in itself. Mastering the human body can, perhaps, allow you to draw anything.
Many artists hope their writer will not include bikes or planes!A.J.: It’s the same about cars, but that does not scare me. In view of the storyline that Yann presented to me, I’m even having to draw more! With the sort of proper documentation which Yann sourced for me abd which I found myself, it is not a problem, especially since I own small models of planes that have been of considerable help in finding points of view that are rarely shown in magazines or on the Internet.
Discovering your original pages, coloured directly, is still a marvelous moment. What is your process?A.J.: As with my other albums, I always try to find a general tonality. Here, ochre and grey-green dominate: we are in a military world. I work in sequences of 8 to 10 pages beginning most often with the sky, then the faces and bodies, then the shading, from the lightest to the darkest, and I conclude with the shadows and bright colours that apply, most of the time, only to details (aircraft markings, a windsock on the airfield, etc.).
Within this story, as well as in some of the new illustrations made for the exhibition, you often evoke the element of water ...A.J.: AJ: Well, Bjorn is often found on the beach, alone or in charming company, perhaps, like Léna (conceived by Pierre Christin), so he can cleanse himself of all the dirt cluttering up his memory.
* The album is published in French on April 22nd 2011.
André JUILLARDSelling Exhibition Mezek
April 29th to May 22nd 2011
Galerie Champaka 27, rue Ernest Allard B-1000 Bruxelles - Belgium Tel : + 32 2 514 91 52 Fax : + 32 2 346 16 09 [email protected] www.galeriechampaka.com
Opening Hours : • Monday and Tuesday : by appointement• Wednesday to Saturday : 11.00 to 18.30• Sunday : 10.30 to 13.30
Press : Viviane [email protected]: + 32 2 351 26 10GSM: + 32 472 31 55 37
