Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/86796
The lobby of The Mark, New York "I love to draw a scene the way it is . . . sometimes reality presents itself in a way that can't be surpassed." —Jean-Philippe Delhomme blog. I like to draw and paint without intention, just painting what I see. Do you have favorite real-life characters? You seem to be fascinated by Karl Lagerfeld. It's not so much that I'm fascinated by Karl Lagerfeld. It's that he is a fixture of our time. I met him once on assignment for French Vogue, so I could get a rather precise idea of how he is in real life, but then, people kept asking me to draw him. One of the most appealing aspects of your work is the ambivalence of your take on the world you inhabit—its players are at once risible and charming. Is this a reflection of your idea of human nature or only of the trendsetters and followers whom you cover? I like to suggest different sides of people. I guess I identify with the people I draw, or like to show some of their pretensions, ridiculousness or weaknesses that I'm most likely to share with them. I don't use drawing to be critical or to take revenge. If you spend time to draw, it's with the hope to be driven by some idea of beauty and humor. What best generates an idea for you? We never know how inspiration comes up. Sometimes it's when I read something, walk in the street or take a flight. Of course, certain situations make me want to paint; it could be the light in the streets, somebody walking through a museum in a way that captures my attention, or the setting of a fashion show. Is it enough to have a general idea of the subject you are assigned—food, fashion, setting—and flesh it out in your studio, or do you prefer to immerse yourself for several hours or days in an environment, with all details provided? I can do many things from imagination, if it's for a humorous drawing, for example, but I like things to be realistic as much as possible and pay special attention to details, so if I'm asked to draw a certain place, city or clothes, I want to experience the real thing as much as possible. It would be great to paint on location, but, of course, it's rarely compatible with real life and contemporary spaces, but at least I want to go there and take my own photographs to work from back at my studio. Are you happy to work on commission, or do you think of an assignment as a job and prefer to come up with your own ideas? I usually turn down jobs for which I can't come up with my own ideas and do jobs for which I'm commissioned to bring my ideas. Do you need a scene to be set, or have you learned how to bring it all together? I love to draw a scene the way it is, an art gallery opening, a great fashion show, a photo shoot. Sometimes reality presents itself in a way that can't be surpassed, but I'm often bringing things together. I'm the stylist, makeup artist, hairdresser, location scout—even the set designer! Your work is as light as a fly on a flower. Have you ever indulged in a dark take on a subject? That's the greatest compliment to me. I can't say that I've never been tempted by heaviness, darkness and the tragic, but contrary to some artists who are great masters of the genre, the results have been so ridiculous for me that it had always proved to be an efficient cure to this state of mind. How has having a greater audience following your blog affected your work? I started a blog with a complete free mind; there are no constraints—it's really just musings, or strolling down the streets. I don't think of a particular audience, or of what this audience would like. I don't even have a schedule—only post once in a while when I have a subject that I'd like to work on, which is contrary to the rule of blogging, which says that you have to post every day to hook up your audience. What brought you to writing? Are there aspects of the culture that cannot be evoked as effectively by illustration as by words? I've always been interested in writing, and I find literature as appealing as painting. At one point I had the impression that you could be better understood by people reading something you wrote rather than by people quickly looking at a picture. But, of course, that doesn't make sense. It is just as amusing to me to write as it is to draw, to play with words and express reality. How would you like your work to be thought of 50 years from now? To give an idea of how our time was, while people could relate to it and say, we are just the same. BH 60 BAL HARBOUR BAL HARBOUR 000