| Title | : | A Sketchy Past: The Art of Peter de Sève |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 2355740992 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9782355740992 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 239 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2009 |
A Sketchy Past: The Art of Peter de Sève Reviews
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More pictures at parkablogs.com)
A hare is praying. Behind it, a wide grinning nun closes in with a chopper in hand.
That's the description of an illustration "Hare Mary" published in The New York Times Magazine, one of the many publications to be graced by Peter de Seve's wonderful and humorous art work. Peter de Seve likes to use fairy tales or animals as metaphorical devices enliven otherwise dry material. Not only are the drawings good, the ideas are also fantastics, which is why his work is liked by so many.
A Sketchy Past is a 240-page collection of some of his finest work, all watercoloured unless noted, and lots of fun sketches. All the drawings are lovely and timeless.
His portfolio is amazing. He has created art for The New Yorker, Disney, Blue Sky Studios, even the Totoro Forest Project and many more. There are sketches from his personal sketchbooks, drafts for his magazine work and commissioned projects, like the character designs he did for Ice Age, Finding Nemo, etc.
This book is a quality publication by Akileos. It's large and measures about 16 inches diagonally. The illustrations are gloriously reproduced on thick low gloss paper, making the book slightly hefty. It's designed to draw a smile of satisfaction on your face. And it's printed in Italy.
Other than the beautiful art work, there's also an foreword by Chris Wedge (director of Ice Age) and introduction by Amid Amidi. The introduction is actually a nice long biography about Peter de Seve. It's filled with lots of nice details. You can read about his schooling years, his childhood heroes -- Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy -- or how he built his own studio and the type of books that fill his shelves, or his relationship with people he work with. There are also stories about his love and work for animation, most notably Ice Age where he designed all the characters.
This is definitely one of the best art books for 2009.
Other than the beautiful art work, there's also an foreword by Chris Wedge (director of Ice Age) and introduction by Amid Amidi. The introduction is actually a nice long biography about Peter de Seve. It's filled with lots of nice details. You can read about his schooling years, his childhood heroes — Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy — or how he built his own studio and the type of books that fill his shelves, or his relationship with people he work with. There are also stories about his love and work for animation, most notably Ice Age where he designed all the characters.
This is definitely one of the best art books for 2009. -
Peter de Sève is one of my absolute favorite contemporary illustrators. Oh hell, why limit it to contemporary? He's one of my favorite illustrators, period. And this book is the indefensible, essential collection of his work I have nee waiting for. His sketchbook, published a few years ago, was but a sweet tease into his inner workings, but this thick volume fairly drips with finished work (and more sketches) and shows both his process and the final results in beautiful full-color. He is a master of concept and execution and anyone who's been delighted by his covers for the New Yorker will want to add this to their collection of art books.
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A fantastic collection of drawings from a talented New York artist. I love this style, and a lot of the pieces are extremely funny. There's a lot of work here that was previously presented in the New Yorker magazine. Highly recommended.
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One of my favorite new yorker illustrator. He showed the creative process in the book by comparing the draft and the finished work.
