Archives : Avril

Montmartre

Montmartre

François Avril’s great enthusiasm for drawing great cities finds witness in the book “Paris-Tokyo-New York-Bruxelles” published by Champaka. “The idea for this portfolio came to me quite simply because I live in an area of Montmartre at the foot of the mount. I have a direct view of the sacré-Coeur from my apartment. Being in the habit of wandering the streets and the many flights of steps around the hill, I said to myself that it would be amusing to create my version of this picturesque setting.” For this portfolio, composed of 8 hitherto unpublished images, Avril re-worked the urban landscape to his own ends. The resulting work seamlessly blends streets and squares in an intriguing version of reality. One thinks one recognizes a scene, only to discover that the artist has taken mischievous pleasure in altering the fabric of the city and giving misleading but evocative names to the tantalisingly familiar scenes. A delight…

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