Focus on Nemo

The great Nemo(see my earlier post, A bit of history, 4) is in my opinion the Paris street artist par excellence, and certainly my own favourite! His beautiful artworks owe something to Surrealism and children's books, dreams and 'polars' or crime novels(yes, really!) But they're very much also his own, distinctive, charming, melancholy, funny, tender and just plain fantastic!

The combination of L'Homme Noir, in his uncompromisingly adult ''film noir'' or 'polar' silhouette, and the beautiful coloured things that suddenly flow out of his gun or spray-can, or flutter around his head, or chase him, in a lovely childlike series of touching, playful, lively scenes, is brilliant and stimulates the imagination with the lightest of touches. L'Homme Noir's adventures on the streets of Paris, alone with his umbrella and his suitcase, or with a menagerie of little creatures, or floating serenely in his paper boat, or ski-ing in a sudden snowstorm, or lying in a hammock, or whatever strikes his fancy, are gentle, poetic tales which can be seen through the eyes and the mind but also the heart and soul. A great lover of the 20th arrondissement, especially around Belleville, he has enriched the lives of countless locals as well as visitors who come to his area specifically to see his work. He does not sell in galleries very much(if at all, in fact), preferring that his art should be for all. A modest and retiring man, he's not interested in publicity or marketing and his ''street-name'', Nemo, which means, in Latin, 'nobody', is testament to his enigmatic integrity.

In his work, as well as those mentioned above, and those he's cited himself, such as the work of the great American comic book artist Winsor Mc Cay, I also see influences such as the gentle, childlike buffoon Monsieur Hulot, creation of Jacques Tati; the joy and melancholy of Lamorisse's The Red Balloon; the 'polar'; children's books..Everyone sees different things, and that's the genius of Nemo, whose simplicity and depth appeal to both children and adults.

There's a great book out about Nemo, simply called Nemo, by the French writer Daniel Pennac. Even if your French it's a bit rusty(which is a pity, as Pennac's text is lovely), it's well worth getting for the beautiful pictures. There's also a very useful list at the back of (wall) addresses where you can see the works when you're in Paris. You can view and order the book here: http://www.amazon.fr/Nemo-Daniel-Pennac/dp/2842302699/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249968151&sr=8-1