Fabrica Grafica

One of the most distinctive and sought-after illustrators from the motherland of comics: Belgium. In Belgium, comics and illustration are as fundamental to the countrys cultural identity as fashion, good food, and films are to the French. Illustrator Jan van der Veken has developed a personal technique that melds the international style, art deco, and Belgiums comics tradition into a visual language that is both contemporary and timeless. Though some of his work might seem simple or even nae at first glance, it is always thought through to the last detail. Van der Veken works with a limited color palette and uses lines sparingly. He creates his own typefaces in the style of the 1920s or 1950s. To give structure to the individual visual elements in his work, he often uses an isometric perspective similar to that used by the best-known designers of the Bauhaus era. Influenced by Herg iconic atom style and ligne claire, van der Vekens book covers, posters, and editorial illustrations for international publishing houses and magazines such as the New Yorker have succeeded in capturing the mid-twentieth-centurys rational yet pioneering spirit. In his work, he bridges the gap between todays lifestyle, design, and graphics and the timeless look of the masters of Belgian comics and illustration. Despite the pleasantly anachronistic accents set by work clearly inspired by classical modernism, van der Veken does not hesitate to explore very current themes including sensory overload in our digital age; brands, patents, and industrial espionage; medical ways to fight heart problems; reaching the end of the career ladder; and attacks on the legal system. The fact that van der Veken is visually anchored in a time after World War II, in which many aspects of todays world were mere dreams of the future, helps him to disarm controversial topics with charm and the wink of an eye without ever seeming to make fun of them, trivialize them, or be presumptuous.

Hardback.English. Gestalten. 2013. Good Condition.