Gradimir Smudja

Aujourd'hui, interview du sympathique et talentueux Gradimir Smudja !

Gradimir – séance de dédicaces en librairie

Q - Hello, can you make your presentation in some words ?

I was born on the 14th of July, 1956 in Novi Sad (Ex-Jugoslavia). I spent my childhood living with my mother, and I started drawing at the age of 3-4 years. I finished the Art Academy in Belgrade.
I always wished to be a BD author but I only had the opportunity to do that in 2002 (with Vincent et Van Gogh) because until then I always had something else to do, like paintings, cartoons, caricatures and illustrations...

Couverture du cabaret des Muses – T.1 aux Ed. Delcourt

Q - How came to you the idea of drawing ?

I think it's a natural thing... I can't do anything else. I don't really know why, but it's a sort of passion and I am doing it since I am a child.

Le (bordel) cabaret des Muses - illustration

Q - Which studies did you do ?

I attended a high art school in Novi Sad and then I went to the Art Academy in Belgrade. After finishing I immediately started working for a Serbian newspaper called Dnevnik.
This daily magazine has published more than 4.000 drawings of mine. I had a personal page, and also the front page political commentation but as soon as Milosevic was nominated like president I decided to left the magazine. I won a lot of prices as cartoon designer in Montreal, Tokyo, Belgrade ...

Toulouse-Lautrec – Auvers-sur-Oise 2010 – Livre d’Or

Q - More than an author, you are above all a painter and a great amateur of impressionistic painting. How does this passion come to you ?

Before I entered the BD world I worked as a painter for a Swiss gallerist. I know about all the techniques and styles of painting ... that's what I studied ...

Toulouse-Lautrec – peinture

I think that if Van Gogh, Monet, Lautrec would see the direction of the painting manner of today, they would really be shocked ! There's no more creativity in painting, and the world became too artificial.
The today's Van Gogh is the one who owns the best and latest version of photoshop.

Van Gogh (esquisse) – Auvers-sur-Oise 2010 – Livre d’Or

Q - What are your main publications ?

There are books like :
Circo dell'arte (Nebelspalter 1992 - Switzerland).
Vincent et Van Gogh I- II tomes.
Le Cabaret des Muses I-II-III-IV tomes.
Smudja Art Book (Alien - Sollies-Ville 2008)
Dylan Faces Book (Zampano 2009).

Couverture du collectif Bob Dylan revisited aux Ed. Delcourt

Q - What are your projects, if you have some ?

Actually, I plan to start a new BD called une Lettre Pour Antoine. It's about a whale who brings a letter to a little boy in Paris. It's a surprise and I cannot tell you much more. But in the meanwhile you can read my second tome of Vincent et Van Gogh.

Gradimir en pleine action – Auvers-sur-Oise 2010

Q - What are your hobbies except the drawing ?

I have no time for other hobbies, I work a lot and while I draw I listen to music. That's all.

Une planche de Hurricane - Bob Dylan revisited

Q - Of which comics authors are you fan ?

There are a lot of good authors, but I don't remember who's the author of these works, I prefer to talk about the book itself...(for example : Trois Ombres [Cyril Pedrosa], Maus [Art Spiegelman], The giving three [Shel Silverstein], Petit Vampire [Joann Sfar]).

Vincent – Auvers-sur-Oise 2010
Vincent et Van Gogh T.1

Q - The last comic you read ?

The last comic I read was Le Petit Prince by Joann Sfar and also Nocturno by Tony Sandoval.

Illustration du portfolio Spécial Van Gogh en Arles
Edition Idées+

Si vous n'avez rien compris à cette interview, ou si vous souhaitez en savoir davantage sur Gradimir, je vous conseille l'interview parue sur bdparadisio, ICI.
Gradimir et votre serviteur – Auvers-sur-Oise 2010