Illustration Next:
Ekta and Olimpia Zagnoli


(cover art Ekta)

After reading the book Illustration Next I was particularly drawn to the work of Ekta and Olimpia Zagnoli. Both have a very simple aesthetic to there work that revolves primarily around the use of shape. This serves to create very dramatic images that leave a very direct and instant impression on the viewer. The interaction between the shapes and their placement/composition within the pieces is particularly striking and is an aspect of my own work that still needs a lot of improvement.
 

(Right: Ekta, Left: Olimpia Zagnoli)

However despite this their work and methodology is distinctly different. Part of this may be due tot hat fact that Ekta is primarily a fine artist. This shows through he work in that it seems much more personal, often serving as a personal reflection on the world around him although he still does produce commercial illustration. What particularly strikes me about his work is his use of complex textures within otherwise very simple shapes that create a certain warmth and intrigue to his work. This is something I personally am very interested in and am currently exploring ways of achieving this within my own practice.





(Right:Several portraits produced for a solo exhibition, Left: Illustration produce for the New York Times Review)

However I think it's Olimpia Zagnoli's work that resonates the most with me. Perhaps due tot he fact that she is more deeply involved with commercial illustration than Ekta, her work is very much ideas driven. Furthermore, given her reductive approach to image making and composition, her work is always very clear and to the point in how it communicates a given message. Her work really does embody the ideas that a picture speaks a thousand words which arguably is what all illustrators are trying to achieve within their own practice. This simplicity and directness in regards to visual communication is something I really need to take on board and apply to my own work given my tendency to over complicate ideas and in some cases misdirect the meaning of my images through poor composition and use of certain motifs.


(Left: Mathematicians are story tellers, produced for Italian news paper La Repubblica, Right: Weather and Violence, As temperatures rise, tempers flare, produced for New York Times Sunday Review.)