humor applied to serious subjects
September 2003 by Denise Pelletier
(DP) - The states of humor rather than emotional: this is what Richard Déraps wants to convey through his illustrations populated by grotesque or wacky. Through his drawings often garish colors, accented with objects glued or juxtaposed such as winks accomplices, he delivers his sarcastic comments on various topics of interest or concern.
subjects of reflection, the professor in advertising program Art and Media Technology at the Cégep de Jonquière not lacking. And he wants to address all these issues, even the most serious in a humorous angle. The humor is his guidance, his views on man and his contradictions on the tragedies of the world and the quirks of everyday life. It could be, in some cases, a breastplate, a defense system against the aberrations of history and society.
the Arts Centre and culture of Chicoutimi, Richard Déraps us do the "tour of" this exhibition he presents until 28 September. It is divided into two parts: one part of the promotional posters of the Book Fair in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and the competition player, reader of the year, conducted between 1995 and 2001. In this case, the comic effect is obtained by taking the subject at face value.
other hand, Richard Déraps presents 26 original illustrations drawn over the last ten years, more oriented towards sarcasm and black humor. Many are fortified with collages scenic elements in three dimensions, and even graffiti written directly on the wall of the showroom. For example, real badminton accompany the drawing titled "Jesus Judas 16-3" and real small Christmas lights illuminate the drawing titled "Red Nose." His "zebra Lancelot is a knight riding a zebra and whose lance is a pencil. "The red button is strapped with a protection system like those found in museums. Additional guarantee of safety: four real mouse traps, attached to the four corners of the frame! In "The little smoke" an adult's hand shakes a cigarette ash over the head of a child. "Hijacking" is set to "Provisouère" the thief is a child who orders the cashier: "Envoy cash, an 8 / 49, two honeymoons, worse way to tell my mother!" A recipe "Roast pork with yellow orange bed roll," an illustration of a stay Olach (Old Orchard), a frog who eats books: all examples hung by the artist in this thread that is essential for him humor. Richard
Déraps designs colorful characters, bizarre, with members or parts body borrowed from other animals or objects (heroes who have books in place of the head, for example, or the man who flies a language extension to swallow a fly). Edentulous or otherwise "full of teeth, fortunate in red tongues, sharp, dressed in a pale skin, wrinkled like a plucked chicken," My little men are not beautiful, "also recognizes the artist willingly but according to him, their very strangeness is likely to render endearing.
BD and freedom
The design is a space of freedom where Richard let Déraps free rein to creativity. The original idea is often born of a word or combination of words: the written text, either a title or registration in the same drawing, plays an important role in its creation as advertising. Then he likes to explore this word, this idea, using simple techniques and varied colored pencils, wax, felt, pastel, airbrush, collage. And computer graphics, usually reserved for touch. His works
colorful and disparate course similar to comics, he is a loyal reader. He said he was at school "the Category-a-brac, the French cartoonist Marcel Gotlib" That's my kind of humor. " He loved the Croc review at the time, and appreciates the art of illustrator Vittorio, who designed such that little guy's Green Festival Juste pour rire. He also admires the style of the painter Arthur Villeneuve, close enough to the comic in some aspects.
