I was first introduced to the illustrations of Jean-Jacques Sempé during high school French lessons. Although the languages department suffered from a serious lack of interest from the students while I was there (my French class had four students) we were lucky enough to have access to some great books which had survived from a time when languages enjoyed a higher level of participation. Among them were the ‘Le Petit Nicholas’ books written by René Goscinny (creator of the Astérix comic book) with illustrated provided by Sempé.
Sempé’s illustrations have appeared on the cover of The New Yorker magazine numerous times and appeared regularly in Paris Match, a weekly french magazine. He has also illustrated 28 compilations of cartoons and has created illustrations for 18 books.
Phaidon has recently released ‘Panic Stations’, the fifth collection of sketches and cartoons by Sempé. The subject matter of the anthology ranges from his favourites – “unspoken truths, failed communications and hidden talents” and also features some new characters such as artists, psychoanalysts and married couples who appear alongside “unpredictable children, tyrannical computers and surprisingly friendly aliens”.
What I particularly like about Sempé is his subtle and conscious use of colour (when he use it at all). His illustrations are simple and unpretentious and often remind me of the illustrations of Hergé (creator of ‘Les Aventures de Tintin’). It is entirely possible that Sempé drew inspiration from the work of Hergé who begun work on Tin Tin in 1929 and continued the comic until his death in 1983.
‘Panic Stations’ is available from Phaidon for $39.95AUD.
