Croquis

Sketchbooks often reveal fascinating aspects of an artist’s perspective. Charting the development of an artwork, they trace back to both an original idea and preceding compositions. Spontaneous first sketches contain a number of unrealised inspirations, personal encounters, and tangential snapshots. They are a creative record of everyday life. The delightful, playfully charming, and very personal sketches in Bouquet de croquis from Madeleine Emo Capodilista are works of art unto themselves. Whether the final piece stands alone or is juxtaposed with early ideas, each of these sketches is equally unconventional and inspiring. This book traces 40 years of Emo Capodilista’s creative polyglot work through her drawing book highlights. The sketches give insight into her life and practice — from her exciting, bohemian life in Paris in the 1970s through to the contemporary art scene in London today. Famous artists, personalities, and many characters of all walks of life feature in this colourful picture of a contemporary artist who, coincidentally or not, likes to write from right to left, just like another luminary of the artist’s sketch book, Leonardo da Vinci. Text in English, German and French.