Prints : Lepage

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CHAMPAKA welcomes Emmanuel LEPAGE!

With “La foret cathédrale”, the publishing house of Champaka Brussels has the pleasure of welcoming Emmanuel Lepage, one of the most accomplished illustrators and colourists to work in contemporary bande dessinée.

On first viewing the illustration that the author of “Muchacho” had created for the Festival of Laval, Champaka realized it had found a magical new addition for its “Icônes” series. For its second incarnation, the image called “La forêt cathédrale” would be reproduced with all the nuance and subtlety of the original drawing.

“The main imperative” recalls the artist, “was to show the bell-tower of the basilica of Avesnière.” At that time, the artist has just published “La terre sans mal”, the first in a remarkable series of works that he created for the “Aire Libre” series. His idea was to show the structure only in reflection, thus leaving the greater part to an evocation of some of bande dessinée’s mythic characters. In this way, the specificity typical of most festival posters (and in which lies their ephemerality) is made less prevalent by the marked presence of these characters. This work’s reach extends further than its original purpose. “This image conveys a kind of nostalgia; it’s an invitation to immerse ourselves once again, in both a literal and figurative sense, in the world of our youth.”

In his ventures into the world of illustration, Emmanuel Lepage takes his place in the succession of illustrious figures such as Pierre Joubert and René Follet. He particularly enjoys taking his art into new and uncharted territory. What, for him, are the secrets of a successful illustration? “Among my criteria is, first of all, the immediate readability of the image, whether that be in the composition or the harmony of the colours, even if the observer then chooses to become absorbed in the detail.” In contemplating the secret pathways used by the Indians in the hidden depths of “La forêt cathédrale”, each viewer can freely explore the depths of this magical graphic composition.

A feeling of tranquillity lies at the heart of “La forêt cathédrale.” “The image is mysterious”, confides Lepage, “but also peaceful. It’s a moment where time is suspended, where we witness the meeting of two worlds: the realist world of “La terre sans mal” and the imaginary world of the great heroes of bande dessinée.” If the “forêt” of the title seems self-evident, the notion of a cathedral might appear more intriguing. “But is that not a place where we honour the greats?”