Delicacy allied to surrealism? This extraordinary description of his work does perhaps best describe the images created by Cédric Rivrain. There is an exquisite refinement of line, and a delicate depiction of the workmanship and craft of designer clothes from such eminent designers as Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga or Martine Sitbon evident in his work. Alongside this is the ability to depict some of the world’s great fashion models totally accurately without these images being reduced to the level of insipid street portraiture. Imagine all this and then throw into the creative mix the unexpected juxtapositions and quirky approach of the Surrealists and you come close to appreciating Rivrain’s body of work.
To understand the way Rivrain’s creative mind works, simply look at how a carefully placed Elastoplast on the drawing of a man’s face shifts the image from straightforward to unbalanced. A meticulously drawn depiction of a dress by a great designer may be followed in his portfolio by a pair of eyes staring at the viewer with devilishly arched eyebrows, suggesting – well, that is perhaps best left to the individual observer to decide. What renders the work of Rivrain special is his ability to unnerve the observer and suggest the most elegant of Marquis de Sade excursions or a Liaisons Dangereuses world from the past somehow wrenched into the twenty-first century. His inventive depictions of his own original mask-like constructions, often shown on only partially completed drawings of the wearer, are truly haunting.
Underlying all this narrative is painstaking, breathtakingly accomplished technique. Rivrain, put simply, can draw, but his artist’s eye and imagination turn this talent into something above and beyond simply recording what he sees. He understands how to faithfully depict and communicate without ever losing his personal signature, even down to how he shows colour – true to the original yet in total harmony with his personal aesthetic. It is also interesting to note the choice of paper on which particular images are created; Rivrain is making specific choices from the very start of the process. The mark of the true fashion illustrator is his ability to take us into a world of his creation as well as the contemporary world of fashion. Rivrain embraces this challenge with his pencil poised like a whip – though perhaps a whip made of feathers supplied by the Parisian House of Lemarié…
Anabela in Maison Martin Margiela, 2007.
Knowing what should be the exact proportion of yellow, through to the delicate modelling of the head is exactly the kind of expertise that is difficult to define. When is a drawing complete? Only the artist will know.
Kate in Alexander McQueen, 2007
Is the model fading back into the garden she came from, or approaching in her whaleboned and flower-decorated ensemble? The spirit of enchantment in this exquisite illustration allows the observer to dream.
Natasha in Dolce & Gabbana, 2009
Time is ticking in this Alice in Wonderland image of a model with huge taffeta sleeves and a stiff taffeta bow in her sharply pulled-back hair. What can she see? Again, the illustrator tells us about the clothes while telling us a story.
Where and when were you born and where do you live now?
I was born in Limoges, the city of porcelain in France, in 1977. I now live in Paris.
Any particular childhood influences?
The cartoons I watched, the antique medical illustrations my father hung on the walls and the band-aids I collected.
What is your earliest drawing memory?
I don’t remember precisely, I guess it was a cartoon I did not want to end and that I continued in my own way.
What was your first professional work?
An illustration for Dazed and Confused.
Do you have a preferred medium?
Drawing with whatever helps me be precise in the lines and colouring.
Do you work in silence or with background music / radio?
I always listen to music while I draw. Sometimes a whole day with the same song going on and on.
What would be your ideal commission?
One that would give me freedom.
Are you a slow and careful or quick and speedy draughtsman?
Quick and careful, instinctive…
Do you keep a sketchbook?
No I don’t do any sketches beforehand. I always go to the actual drawing straight away. I stock images, feelings in my head. And let myself be surprised with what comes out of it through my hand.
How would you describe your work?
That is not for me to answer. I am too deep into it. I just hope it is touching.
Do you research your subjects? How do you research?
No I don’t really research, I observe a lot and when something touches me, it always comes back through a drawing.
How does your personal work relate to your professional output?
It enriches it, and simply makes it more personal.
Sasha in Balenciaga and Sasha in Prada, both 2008.
There is something almost Byzantine about these images. The jewelled and decorated mask pieces, the front-facing poses and the disintegration of each image beyond a certain point are like figures from a fresco. The fashion is, in every instance, absolutely perfectly drawn to the last thread.
Sasha in Lanvin, 2008.
The skill of the workrooms that made this dress is honoured by this illustration. Rivrain lovingly records the sheen of the fabric and every exquisite fold the seamstress stitched. The mask and necklace provide a perfect balance through their shapes and lines.
Lanvin, 2011.
Using the same delicate and detailed approach for menswear as for womenswear, Rivrain demonstrates the importance of a strong personal signature style in fashion illustration.
Lanvin, 2010.
The telling point here is the placing of the hands in the low pockets of the outfit, showing the garments’ proportions off to perfection and communicating to the viewer how they are supposed to be worn.
Model in Louis Vuitton, 2007.
A conceit imagined by Fragonard or Dalí, this image combines the romance of Leda and the Swan with the knowledge that swans are vicious creatures to make an impossible reality. The style is poetic, with an underlying oddness which is heightened by the model being both naked to the waist and wearing exaggerated shoes.