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roxanamalinachirila's review
3.0
Combining a myth-like story with an essay about why humans feel the need to draw, "River of Ink" is beautifully drawn and recognizably French, even if you ignore the author's name. It's a pleasure to look at and the concept is lovely, but I'm not entirely persuaded by the execution.
The main character in Étienne Appert's book is an artist drawing under a tree. A child comes by and asks, "Why do you draw?", and the only answer that will do is a philosophical one, and a fictional story going back to the dawn of time, when a woman traces the shadow of her loved one when he leaves for war, to make sure she'll have something of him.
The fictional story has its charm: drawing is an act of keeping those we love with us; it's also power, and it becomes magic at key points, intertwining itself with the power of storytelling to modify reality. There's a part that feels like it doesn't really connect with the rest, where images are captured by way of a mirror rather than art, but while the narrative feels a bit uneven there, the idea of saving images is at least thematically appropriate.
The philosophical side is comprised of real responses given by illustrators about why they draw: Edmond Baudoin and François Boucq for the original French version; and Scott McCloud was added for the English one. And the answers are... well, for the French, they're very deep, and thoughtful, and European (I say this without reproach; I'm European myself), feeling like they're drawing on a long philosophical tradition that is well-known, often debated, but also at a distance from real life. Scott McCloud's response, on the other hand, feels rawer, more personal, more human.
In the end, the question isn't satisfactorily resolved; but it can't be, can it? I don't think there's a definitive answer as to why we need to produce art, so all answers are likely to be different and personal.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The main character in Étienne Appert's book is an artist drawing under a tree. A child comes by and asks, "Why do you draw?", and the only answer that will do is a philosophical one, and a fictional story going back to the dawn of time, when a woman traces the shadow of her loved one when he leaves for war, to make sure she'll have something of him.
The fictional story has its charm: drawing is an act of keeping those we love with us; it's also power, and it becomes magic at key points, intertwining itself with the power of storytelling to modify reality. There's a part that feels like it doesn't really connect with the rest, where images are captured by way of a mirror rather than art, but while the narrative feels a bit uneven there, the idea of saving images is at least thematically appropriate.
The philosophical side is comprised of real responses given by illustrators about why they draw: Edmond Baudoin and François Boucq for the original French version; and Scott McCloud was added for the English one. And the answers are... well, for the French, they're very deep, and thoughtful, and European (I say this without reproach; I'm European myself), feeling like they're drawing on a long philosophical tradition that is well-known, often debated, but also at a distance from real life. Scott McCloud's response, on the other hand, feels rawer, more personal, more human.
In the end, the question isn't satisfactorily resolved; but it can't be, can it? I don't think there's a definitive answer as to why we need to produce art, so all answers are likely to be different and personal.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
veiledmountainfury's review
3.0
I had a hard time getting into this title and it was not really for me. I think that the author draws really well and some of the pages were quite beautiful. It seemed at least to me that there were too many story lines to follow along. However, I am not that up to date on the history of drawing or famous artists so someone else could absolutely enjoy this book. I thought I would be getting a little history lesson but it seemed that if you already knew the stories you could enjoy it more. I did love the interview at the end with Scott McCloud whom most of us know for the fabulous Understanding Comics!
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