Prints : Frank

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"Zoo-Le ventre de la panthère" - Frank

On the occasion of the much-anticipated third and final tome of “Zoo” as part of the “Aire Libre” collection, Frank has created a new drawing to grace Champaka’s “Prints” collection: “Zoo – Le ventre de la panthère.” The artist’s mastery of animal forms and glowing colours is demonstrated in this scene featuring two of the central figures of “Zoo.” “Manon and the panthère were in my mind from the very beginning. At one point along the way I considered using a tiger; I gave it a try but it didn’t work – the head was too regal; the stripes of its coat had too much visual force.” In representing the protective feline, Frank maintains that he was motivated by “the fantasy of caressing the underbelly of a panther. The fur there appears so soft, so inviting, so comforting!” The exquisite figure of Manon glows at the heart of a composition that could never have seen the light of day before then. “The idea of showing the tiny stringed carvings in Manon’s hand is, in a way, a means of representing the whole of the story of Célestin’s Zoo in this image. I think it’s one of the images created around the Zoo story that best sums up Manon’s character.” For Frank, the success of an image lies as much in its graphic properties as in its “soul.” “It must be rich and strong; it must have a graphic force and a certain something - an element of surprise, a suggestion of depth, something that resonates with the observer and that makes the image sustain interest over time. Light, texture and a sense of believable density (or airiness) must be present in the image, and it must, above all else, convey emotion.”