Geraldine Georges is a young Belgian illustrator and graphic designer that uses a blend of illustration and photography in her work, creating an appealing mix of mediums. Her work often abstracts the female form, capturing the eye and various body features.In a interview she was asked about why this was that she chooses to only focus on the female body and in response she replied 'She doesnt know shes a girl its as simple as that'.
She was also asked about the elements to her work like animals, trees and blurred shapes in her work and if she thinks its important for people to come in touch with this other dimension in their everyday life and in response she went on to say how she grew up surrounded by farms and animals as shes a country girl and she finds it difficult to go back to that sort of life because of all the technology and facilities the city life brings you.
She also describes her Procedure by stating its no secret
'I just mix collage/cutting of pictures with drawing made with a Rotring, trying to inspire a certain feeling and emotion to it. I put everything together and I try to find the perfect balance and purity. I don't like over-ornated and loud work. I like simple, clear and direct things...there is no need to overdo.'
The full interview is here
This image is one of many from her website, Ive picked this one to analyse because i think its one that is the most interesting in the sense of meaning. Its named Life and that is the only clue of the meaning there is no further details or further clues to what the meaning of the image is which leaves me to use what is here to try to put together a meaning.
My first response to this piece was 'Wow' because after reading the interview through and understanding shes produced this out of using a rotring-which is a pen with a thin tip its amazing she can create this with so much time and detail. What i also love about this artist is that she has actually taken this photographs herself which she has then transformed unlike Julie Cockburn who simply creates art from secondary resources.
To create this piece Geraldine would have taken a photograph of a woman from the waist upwards leaving the stomach exposed. She then would have began cutting out her chosen pieces to work from and stuck them on a separate piece of paper and begin doddling. I love the detail in the head scarf she has made this could symbolize that this woman is a muslim or maybe a nun.
On her head this woman has two Daisy or Asteraceae like flowers. Daisys symbolize Innocence and gentleness. There are many stories about where daisys orginate from but from these sources 1 ,2 ,3 it is said that daisys derive from a Dryad who presided over forests, meadows, and pastures. A Roman legend states that the nymph Belides caught the eye of Vertumnus, the god of orchards. This happened when she was dancing with other nymphs at the edge of a forest. Belides didn't want to be the centre of attention, so she morphed into the flower bellis. Which is the daisy's botanical name.
Going with this conspiracys this could mean that this woman pictured is infact Belides the Dryad described. This could make perfect sense for the illustration the fact that the woman is bowing with a sad expression could suggest she is about to morph, Then the fact that the bellybutton is connected to a daisy could suggest a she has morped and that is now her life,the bellybutton being the part of belides that remains in the flower, the bellybutton could also symoblize the soil in which it is in.These two pictures with the word life written above them could be before and after illustrations of this transformation. The life above the daisy symolizling the new life she has chosen to live.
Overall i really like this image and this artist and really appreciate her work, she has inspired me to try a go at illustration because it looks really exciting and the end product looks beautiful.
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