Interview - Michel Bouvet
Do you know which French graphic artist has accepted to answer our questions?
The clue is just below:
It’s Michel Bouvet! (And we’re raving about it!) Read this interview to know more about his work:
• Can you introduce yourself? When did you begin working in graphic art?
M.B: I am a poster designer and teacher at l'ESAG Penninghen in Paris. I am also chief of exhibitions for the ‘Mois du graphisme d'Echirolles’ and the ‘Fête du graphisme’ in Paris.I studied painting at ‘l'École des Beaux-Arts’ in Paris. I travelled around Prague where I discovered Tschesche posters and then the Polish Poster School. During the same period, I was mesmerized by the psychedelic Californian pattern. It gave me the desire to share, and communicate about my love for Art. Posters have the advantage to be seen by all. It is a street art.
• What are your inspirations?
M.B: I am inspired by life, art, culture, and travelling. I am passionate by literature, painting, photography, cinema, music but also geopolitics. For my work aesthetics, I am inspired more so by painting than graphism. My masters are Le Gréco, Matisse, Léger, Dubuffet, Pollock, Lichtenstein, Basquiat…
• Why have you chosen to use (most of the time) the same graphic patterns?
M.B: It allows me to identify the place or the event I was asked to communicate about. The visual identity - thus created this way - leaves a mark. The picture changes but the framework remains.
• Which is you favourite creation and why?
M.B: I cannot choose because in each series of posters (Les Gémeaux, les Rencontres d'Arles, La Pépinière théâtre, l'Opéra de Massy, La Friche, La Belle de Mai...notably) there is one, or a couple, that I find better than the others. The audience are the best judges! I love the different techniques used: painting, vector drawings, photography.
• Do you think graphism is art?
M.B: For me, the question shouldn’t be asked on these terms. Graphism is inventing, communicating, surprising, telling stories. It is everywhere in our daily life, like architecture. If the building is beautiful, it’s art - similarly to if it’s not beautiful, then it’s not art.
• Your work is exhibited all over the world, do you think people appreciate your work according to their country?
M.B: Of course, my posters are appreciated according to countries and cultural contexts. However, they are understood by a majority of people as I use symbols, objects, archetypes or metaphors that most people can recognise.They are particularly appreciated in Asia, Southern and Eastern Europe and in South America and starting a buzz in anglo-saxon countries. Nevertheless, all is quite obscure for me. How my work spreads around the world still surprises me.
• What do you think about the place of women in graphism?
M.B: It’s a paradoxical situation. For many years, women represented the majority of graphic art school students, even on a global scale. However, women are not recognised on the same scale as men are. So, in 2006 I organised a women's exhibition during the ‘Graphics Month’ in Echirolles. The ‘9 Female Graphic Artists’ exhibition highlighted the work of 9 international women.In my workshop I worked with women. I am teaching with Perrine Bonafos at l'ESAG Penninghen. I like their motivation, their creativity.
• You had recently managed a workshop at Napier University. Do you think it is important to work with students? What’s in it for you?
M.B: I love teaching because it is a wonderful moment of sharing idea. We provide them with knowledge, a new experience, but in exchange they give us their vision of the world. This exchange is vital for an artist. Keeping up with the younger generations is essential, or even vital.
Did you like this interview? If yes, you will be glad to know that the BDes(Hons) Graphic Design students at Edinburgh Napier University will exhibit their work from the 28 April to the 28 May at the Institut français d'Écosse!
A little teaser, just for you, about this exhibition called "Scotland is an old country, Scotland is a new country" (with a picture, fancy that!):
Crafting a poster is a gesture of seriousness, whether you’re a brand, a band, or a political movement. The simple action of making a poster, regardless of the actual content, is symbolically important - a declaration of intent to join or start a social conversation. We’re here, and much like the graphic poster through history - we’re here to stay.Keep your eyes wide open and admire posters made by some gifted Graphic Design students of Napier University. These posters are the result of a workshop led by Michel Bouvet – a world renowned French affichiste and Professor at ESAG Penninghen in Paris.