That Was the Old Patrick.

In The Menu, Visual Arts by Quiet LunchLeave a Comment

Newsweek: Communicating with Students: A Teacher’s Perspective. (Courtesy of Patrick Leger)

Patrick Leger is in a class all his own. His vintage appeal and high brow execution is effective enough to elevate his audience’s ability to interpret exactly what he’s telling them without leaving them in the dark.

More simply put, Leger never dumbs down but makes it easy enough for his audience to keep stride right along with him. He’s not a mad scientist. He’s not an existentialist who’s only purpose is to blow your mind. He’s an artist that enjoys telling a good story.

“After the Heist”. (Courtesy of Patrick Leger.)

New York Times Magazine: Divorce. (Courtesy of Patrick Leger.)

FHM UK: The Dangers of Removing a Sweater in Public. (Courtesy of Patrick Leger.)

We enjoy Leger’s work because it remind us of a simpler time — and we don’t mean that in a 1950s apple pie kind of way; we mean it in a less is more kind of way. Leger’s work draws from a period of deep rooted simplicity where thick heavy lines reigned supreme and one dimensional coloring ruled with a iron fist.

We asked Patrick about the inspiration and purpose behind his work:

“I think most of my inspirations just come from the types of media I consume like books and films.  Since both my professional and personal work has a narrative quality, it helps for me to draw from sources that incorporate a lot of elements and details so that when I’m working, it’s easier to create scenes that project an idea or situation.”

So what may just appear as simplicity is actually a cumulative display of a mountain of details.

We also asked about his seemingly “vintage” style:

“Most of my artistic/cultural influences come from mid-century American/European design and illustration.  I have a real attachment to the look of things from that time and enjoy making images that try to imitate the processes they used.  I don’t think of my work as being antiquated but it does have the look and imperfections of something that wasn’t made digitally.”

So, there goes our whole “vintage” theory; shot dead by the man himself. Antiquated or not, Leger is an old soul. An old soul who spins tales of a gentler, more subtle nature.

John Wyndham: Day of the Triffids. (Courtesy of Patrick Leger.)

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