Weekend Reading List

I don't think I've ever written anything about the iconic illustrator Rene Gruau (1909 - 2004) in this blog and this weekend I'm looking through the gigantic book Gruau, so I might as well; He's a formative influence for me as far as style, elegance and drawing goes, and predates Antonio Lopez for me. I first became conscious of his work when I was very little. I remember spending most of my 13th year not studying hard in school (I was dreamy and still am in a way) but instead, copying Mr Gruau's Dior ads in my exercise books and the margins of my textbooks. If I dig deep enough, I can pull out from the dusty depths of drawers and cupboards my first childish attempts at Gruau's iconic sweeping fluidity, his pure economy of line, at once precise, yet sensual. And then came Erte (1892 – 1990). His works always make me think of Serge Lutens for some strange reason. A classmate in ACS showed me a book of Erte illustrations and I was hooked. Thirteen years old, can you imagine? Those ACS queens were a precocious and sophisticated bunch.I don't have the energy to pick up a pencil this weekend, as it has been an exhausting week and all I want to do is retreat to the dark depths of my various pillows and read my Agatha Christie of the week: Murder Is Easy. This is terrifically chilling, Ms Christie at her best, and a perfect anitidote to dashing about all week. It's like smelling salts for the soul, right up there with watching laundry spin in a bath of suds.
Because of an article in the Financial Times on Paulo Coelho, I decided to pick up his bestseller The Alchemist; I've never read this even though millions apparently have, and later today, I shall crack it open and see what the fuss is about. I'm also dipping into an old favourite of Anton Chekov's collected short works The Comic Stories, all of them unpretentious, lively and inventive, and just perfect for an early Sunday night, hot and muggy