Archives : Chaland

“Bob Fish à Bruxelles” is an image from one of the three versions (see the essential “Les Inachevés” published by Champaka) of the beginning of “Bob Fish 2”, a story that was never actually published. The scene is set in the war-scarred Marolles quarter of Brussels. The detailed imagery of the foreground and the spare treatment of the upper portion demonstrate Chaland’s mastery of composition. Touched by the image, François Schuiten, author of “Cités Obscures”, shares with us his impressions of Chaland’s Belgium.

What is it about this “Belgian” image that fascinates the author of “Brüsel”?

Schuiten: What particularly interests me in this print is to see how Chaland “imagined” Belgium without ever having lived in the country. He achieves a Belgian flavour in the use of detail. I’m amazed that someone who formed an image of Belgium through the work of Franquin and Tillieux manages to recreate Brussels and the surrounding area so well …

Has Chaland’s Belgium ever really existed?

Schuiten: That kind of question has never really been an issue for me, even with “Les Cités Obscures.” It’s not important to faithfully reproduce streets as they existed in order that something be truly “Belgian” or indeed “of Brussels”. When you draw from the imagination you can create streets that are Brussels-like in every respect. Here, the overall atmosphere, created through a whole series of details, captures the essence of Brussels. It’s more real, in that sense, than a photographic image. It’s not the case that just because someone might live in Belgium they would be better placed to talk about it. The fascination that Brussels held for Chaland meant that he transformed the city.

In this screenprint, what are the details that are essentially Belgian?

Schuiten: The chimneystacks…(laughs). The first time he came to visit me, we had a weird discussion about the roofscapes of our respective towns. He was of the view that “the rooftiles in Brussels must be awfully difficult for an artist. When you send your characters running, a typical Parisian roof is far better. The structure is more straightforward, easier to draw.” I myself quite liked rooftiles because they create an interesting framework. That alone kept us talking for a quarter of an hour. I was really taken by the fact that he was interested in that kind of detail.

Source: Champaka News n°3, December 1993