Illustration by René Gruau. Gruau’s classic drawing for the Miss Dior range was used as
the show poster for the Dior Illustrated exhibition, held recently at Somerset House.
What we loved most of all was the effervescence
in the Gruau brushstroke - that sort of sense of
freedom but power at the same time.
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Gruau contended with many of the same pressures today’s fashion
illustrator’s face – in particular competition from the camera. In the
1930s when he was establishing his style, photography was becoming a
mainstay in the newspapers and magazines that reported on fashion, as
well as in advertising. Yet the artist built a brilliant career capturing the
exaggerated vivacity of couture that the lens and shutter often miss.
The fact Gruau was self-taught is something that chimes with Christian
David Moore, who also had no formal training in painting. “I originally
felt that this put me at a disadvantage but in hindsight it doesn’t matter
either way,” he says. “His ability to make something look so beautiful
with so little detail, and such fluidity of line, should be an inspiration to
every artist.”
Fellow fashion illustrator Nuno Da Costa works in a style that
synthesises classic haute couture artwork like Gruau’s with modern
influences and digital techniques. The way Gruau’s paintings can
speak to the viewer is something he wants to emulate in his work. He
believes the renewed interest in Gruau will benefit all illustrators, as
it demonstrates just how well great drawings can transcend time and
trends.
“It was amazing to see just how much interest there still is – and it’s
especially lovely when people you would never have imagined had an
interest in illustration said that they had seen the exhibition and loved
it,” says Da Costa.
While Jones’ headwear has resurrected the classic Dior style of the
1940s that René Gruau contributed so much to, the great illustrator
himself is sadly no longer with us. But if we could meet the iconic artist
today, milliner Stephen Jones knows exactly what he’d do. “I don’t think
we’d discuss anything,” he says. “I’d just sit and watch. I wouldn’t want a
conversation to take up any time - I’d just want to watch him draw.”
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