On the 18th November, I went to the ‘Dior Illustrated – René Gruau and the Line of Beauty’ exhibition at Somerset House, and attended the ‘From Gruau to Now’ talk with Cally Blackman, Jaspar Goodall and Sonnet Stanfill. It was a really lovely evening and the gallery was open late so I could see the exhibition afterwards.
Gruau influenced the graphic style of a whole generation of fashion illustrators. His work had a unique way of capturing movement and femininity using his signature style of fluid, bold lines. The discussion was chaired by Cally Blackman (author of 100 Years of Fashion Illustration) and explored the work of René Gruau how his legacy has influenced a new generation of illustrators.
The talk started with Cally Blackman, discussing Gruau’s work from when he first met Christian Dior through his entire career with him. Dior and Gruau both started their careers as fashion artists, so Dior understood Gruau’s work and the role it could play in selling his brand.
‘To be inspired by Dior is to be inspired by Gruau. His sketches capture the silhouette and spirit of Dior and a new era of fashion and femininity. His illustrations are timeless, ever youthful, ever faithful to the moment he saw; they capture the energy, the sophistication and daring of Dior, and equally are a token of an enduring friendship.’ (From The First Century of Rene Gruau’)
Christian Dior saw the dawning of the ‘New Look’ (where I’m assuming the high st store stole it’s name!) where fashion reverted back to the structured, exaggurated feminine lines and silhouette of decades past; Gruau furnished his home entirely in an 18th Century style. It was discussed in the talk if this new fashion was of detriment to women; after the war, fashions were relaxed, women were more free, then the New Look came along and restricted them back into strong corsetry and delicate clothing.
What is amazing about Gruau’s work is his use of silhouette and line, and the use of it sparingly, but enough to create the perfect image. ‘Delineation over detail’ was something that was mentioned.
What was important between Dior and Gruau was the link and cyclical nature behind their work. Gruau’s images of the finished collection were always a starting point for the next collection, and so work would inspire work, nothing new, always carrying on. The idea would be sketched, the sketch would become a garment, that garment would be illustrated, then that illustration would inspire the next, and so on. This is how the two worked, and it worked well.
I really recommend you go and see it; it’s on til 9th January and the exhibition explains further what I’ve talked about here. Also, the exhibition booklet and title of works is set with ligatures; which excites me way too much. Noone uses ligatures anymore, and it’s a damn shame, it looks fantastic. That’s just the type geek in me there.
Lastly we had Jaspar Goodall talking – one of my favourite digital illustrators – and he talked about how his work is influenced by Gruau, mainly the use of silhouette and negative space. We then discussed the role of illustration within advertising, primarily fashion advertising, and if there was a future, if it would ever be mainstream, or if it was still seen as a novelty, and then moving into the whole photography vs illustration debate.
‘I always seek to reproduce what I have come across in life. I record a pose, a look or a smile. It is almost photographic.’ – Rene Gruau.
