Dramatic Lines

All images from British ’Vogue‘.

Bold. Striking. Strong lines. Graphic shapes. Rich texture. Minimalist colour palette. All add up to a luscious illustration by the Swiss-born François Berthoud.

The sensuous lines and textured layers are beautiful and so tactile, and Berthoud creates them through an unconventional medium. The Fashion Book (Phaidon, 1998) says: ‘Berthoud uses linocuts and woodcuts for his melodramatic work. They are brave and unusual methods for fashion illustration, which usually demands flowing lines. But these approaches suit the sharp contours of contemporary fashion, lending strength and drama to the simplest garment.’

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Born in Switzerland, Berthoud graduated in graphic design in Lausanne in 1982. A stint at Condé Nast in Milan followed, after which he began working for himself, developing an enviable and inimitable style of fashion illustration. His work first appeared in Vanity magazine, and a long list of distinguished titles followed: Numero, The NewYorker, Harper's Bazaar, The New York Times Magazine, Mixte, V magazine, Amica, Uomo Vogue, Vogue Italy, Vogue Nippon, Visionaire. 

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I am reminded of René Gruau, a fashion illustrator of the 1940s and 50s. He and Berthoud not only have in common worldwide renown for their work, but each sign their illustrations with a single initial: Gruau with a painterly G, and Berthoud an inverted F inscribed within a circle.

Both are artists to inspire, as well as aspire to.