Angoulême BD Comics Festival, 52nd edition

 I took the TGV crack of dawn 🕕 to Angoulême on Thursday morning to my first Festival de Bande Dessinée!

But first things first. I headed to the best chocolate shop (from 1897) Chocolatier Duceau.across from the train 🚊 station

Hugo Pratt, musée des confluences, Lyon

I went to Lyon last Saturday to see an exhibit of graphic novel artist, HUGO PRATT: HORIZON LINES at MUSÉE DES CONFLUENCE. 

I caught a bus 🚌 across from les Halles Paul Bocuse. The driver and his pal explained I would have to change to another bus. I was escorted to the other bus, which took me to the end of a peninsula surrounded by modern structures. No museum in sight. I had to enter a tunnel, cross some highways. 

Et voila! An amazing structure that looks like a floating crystal cloud of stainless steel and glass designed by an Austrian group, Coop Himmelbleau.

Inside an equally astonishing experience to wander through

The perfect setting for the other worldly drawings of Hugo Pratt.

The display was a dramatic mixup of ethnographic objects and his blown-up cartoons.

You're immediately drawn in.

For once wall notes were in English, French & Italian. Pratt was born in Venice, spent early years in Africa and lived in London, Argentina, Brazil, Paris, Lausanne. And in general traveled the world searching for settings for his main character, adventurer/sailr/hero, CORTO MALTESE, who somewhat resembles Burt Lancaster...as well as Hugo Pratt himself.

I was attracted to Pratt's delicate washy watercolors a few years back.

Plus he does excellent seagulls...

Wonderfully loose sketch sheets

What's not to love?

Painting in his Swiss studio. He died in '95 just 62 years old, but he expanded the graphic novel to new heights from 1967 with his 👁️ for cinematography 🎥 and his adventurous storylines influenced by Kipling, Stevenson, Melville.

I was so tempted to buy a big empty paintbox like Pratt's at Boesner this week.

I Love ❤️ his loose personal sketch sheets..

Which contrast with his strong black and white graphics

Drawings ✍️ with India ink are enticing. The exhibition is appropriately called "Horizon Lines"

After 2 hours immersion and inspiration, I hopped on a tram in front. Then a short metro trip to the center of Lyon, before returning home. Somehow I missed the Musee de Cinema et Miniatures. 

Plus the famous silk museum. I’ll return soon. 

The Hugo Pratt exhibit is on through October, 2018.

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Hergé, Tintin. Grand Palais

Yesterday the huge Hergé retrospective opened

At no less than the Grand Palais

Speak French Effortlessly!

 There are many simple-minded ways to bone up on your French without private tutoring or fancy classes before you travel.
1.Rent/borrow French films.
Play them over & over so you can practically act out the dialogue. You'll absorb a lot.
2.Set your rented English-speaking films to dubbed-in-French with Eng subtitles. Or as Jill of Mad About Macarons says set the titles to French, the better to hear/see the expressions. Jill’s way to to soak up French effortlessly.

 3.There are loads of online French radio stations you can listen to. I like On Va Deguster/France Inter, because they talk about food (what else is worth talking about?). Very casual & conversational - experience the way real people speak. A once-a-week podcast you can listen to on your iPod - I'm listening now.

Lolita Tea Party @ FIT

Yesterday I went to the JAPAN FASHION NOW show at the Fashion Institute of Technology(FIT).

Comme de Garcons pink gingham skirt
This is one fabulous, huge exhibit of Japanese clothing design from the '70s till now on through January 8, 2011.
I was in Tokyo for 6 weeks in the '80's on a Parsons' graphic design program led by CBS Art Director, John Berg and the memories came flooding back. The dollar was good in those days. Comme De Garcons had navy blue trucks daily delivering new merch to the department stores and I was there (instead of in class) to grab it - I bought a ton of stuff, most I gave away. It was impossible to figure out how to put it on. We got invited to an Issey Myaki sale and given garbage bags! to fill up - I bought a red bus conductor's belt with attached purse - I wonder whose wearing it now..?Current fashion trends called 'Cosplay' include "a kind of role play involving dressing up as characters from popular manga (comic books), anime (animated films), computer/video games" or as The New York Times mentioned,"a bizarre pastiche of Central European folkloric costume pieces." The WSJ has a video on the 'Hime' or princess style. Thanks TamiElegant & Gothic Lolita styles are represented in depth. With lifelike Volk dolls in matching outfits... Later there was a Lolita Tea party. Oh why did I leave my Sonia hairbow at home?
Hints of Alice

And Marie-Antoinette are part of the Lolita look.

Wear your cupcakes.

Or eat them.

Cat cookies for the cat fanciers.

And macarons bien sur!

Please wear pink shoes with your macaron skirt...

Bags with bows=essential

There's a dark side to this sweet Lolita subculture - like the Simpson's 'Itchy and Scratchy' - it's not all sugar and pink marshmallows. Character cats, Hangry & Angry creator, Gashicon, was there for a discussion with the show's fashion historian and curator, Valerie Steele pre-tea party to tell all.

A tea party attendee decked out in all the accoutrements - these outfits are elaborate and expensive...

If you're in New York, do NOT MISS the Japan Fashion Now show and there are lots more related events to attend.

BONJOUR LOLITAS!