French novelist Michel Suffran (1931-2018) of Bordeaux passed away last year and, as might be expected, books from his library are now appearing on the market. His copy of Quelques romantiques (1986) by Jean-Jacques Sempé shows the novelist and the cartoonist were at least aware of each other and may have had some acquaintance.
The artist personalized the novelist's copy of the book on February 2, 1987 with a drawing of Bordeaux, specifically le Pont de Pierre or the Stone Bridge.
One can't be certain, but the Bordeaux drawing seems to be made from memory, that is, visual memory. One would expect visual memory to be more highly developed in artists than in others. It is called into use whenever a drawing is made of a real-world subject without a direct visual reference. The title page cartoon of the couple on a bicycle, for example, is something that simply can't be drawn from life, but a strong visual memory might help the artist to render it plausibly.
The train station was clearly drawn on site or with a photographic reference.
Sempé's interiors are very convincing spaces. Are they drawn from life? One would think so, although there certainly could be elements of pastiche.
The book is priced at an even 750 euros.
 |
| Jean-Jacques Sempé AbeBooks Listing Retrieved November 17, 2019 |
An old postcard of le Pont de Pierre from the early 20th century does not present the same head-on view from which Sempé drew it. Nevertheless we can compare it with his drawing and ask ourselves how well the artist recalled the details of the bridge. His sketch, alas, is a very quick one.
 |
| Le Pont de Pierre Postcard |
03094
No comments:
Post a Comment