The Arts & Culture Journal

Florian Nicolle is an illustrator and graphic designer whose work has the mark of both versatility and depth.

His piece titled ‘Marie’ (first picture) is a wonderful example of how Florian’s work culminates from a number of layered styles, which give a beautiful totality in their culmination. The face emerges from grey, formed of text and a loose use of shape, and yet the eye is drawn finally into the intricate, beautifully crafted eyes of the female face that peers out. Form emerging from a blanket chaos.

We asked Florian who the major creative influence was for his work: “I am very grateful to my first art teacher who as been my greatest source of inspiration, which really helped me to move on with my work. In this way, I have been able to attain my own working, my own style.”

Different textures underpin the layers. Yet, whereas one might expect a separation in the images, where layers are in contrast to one another, Florian manages to lead the eye carefully on a journey though the layers. The eye doesn’t flick from point-to-point but, rather, is guided subtly.

There is a consistent use of text throughout Florian’s design; the text, however, is used for its visual image and not its linguistic symbology: “I draw a picture as if I wrote a text, with the same tool, the same freedom, with erasures, lines, scribbles -what is written does not matter.”