Quentin Blake’s favourite painting
The artwork and illustrations of Quentin Blake are probably among the most recognisable in the world. Through his tireless work illustrating books by Roald Dahl and, in more recent times, David Walliams, Blake has formed an intrinsic part of the childhoods of millions. Remaining active to this day, Blake is hailed among the most legendary illustrators of all time, which certainly gives his artistic opinions weightage.
Throughout his illustrious career, Blake has always had a deep appreciation for the art and culture of France. In fact, during the 1960s, he taught students at Lycée Français de Londres, a position which led him to eventually win the Legion of Honour, the highest honour bestowed by the French. Alongside his teaching career, he began illustrating books in the early part of the ’60s, going on to provide artwork for well over 300 books, many of them aimed at children.
Quentin Blake’s close relationship with the artistic community in France continued throughout his career, with him repeatedly being honoured by the French government. Therefore, it should probably come as no surprise that Blake takes a lot of artistic inspiration from the long and storied history of French art, so much so that Blake lists the legendary impressionist painter Edgar Degas as his all-time favourite artist.
Revealing his love for the artist of Country Life, Blake explained that Degas’ work Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study is his favourite painting outright, “Any one of a dozen paintings by Degas could be my favourite, but I choose this one because I retain the vivid memory of it being revealed to me years ago when it was still in private hands.” The painting, now on display at The National Gallery in London, is an impressionist masterpiece created by Degas back in 1886.
Degas was noted for his use of pastels, creating many iconic pastel drawings that had a huge influence on Quentin Blake. As the man himself explains, “There’s a wonderful sense of balance between the painter and the draughtsman at work; everything impressively but delicately held in check by a sort of formal geometry, and, not uncommon with Degas, the discreet presence of works of art of other periods.”
As opposed to many notable impressionist painters, Degas did not paint landscapes. Preferring to call himself a ‘realist’, his work often depicted female nudes and dancers. While Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study is not a nude nor a depiction of a dancer, Blake argues that the work affirms Degas’ unique perspective on women, “Whatever his reputation as a misogynist,” Blake explained, “Degas’ portraits of women must surely be among the most intelligent — the most acknowledging of their individual identity — of the 19th century.”
Although the impressionist stylings of Degas might seem at odds with the rough-and-ready, cartoonish illustration style of Quentin Blake, the lineage of influence is plain to see. Degas’ ability to capture the spirit and personality of his subjects within his paintings is comparable to Blake’s innate understanding of the characters within the many books he has illustrated over the years.
