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December072009

Sempé Fi: O Christmas Tree

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VanDerVeken_HolidayCheers_12-7-09.JPG

Pollux writes:

The genial faces of the December 7, 2009 issue of The New Yorker provide welcome warmth in the coldness of a winter made bleak by war and woes both economic and political. "Holiday Cheers" is the name of the cover, and its artist is the Belgian illustrator Jan Van Der Veken.

Van Der Veken's couple is literally wrapped up in holiday cheer. Unlike the gray passers-by behind them, who are weighed down with packages and briefcases, the young man and woman are fresh-faced, happy, and hopeful. They seem to be joyfully conscious of what the holiday season actually means: togetherness.

In their blissful state, they scarcely notice the layers of snow that have settled on their headwear.

Van Der Veken's large red ribbon swirls about magically. It gently encircles the happy young couple and the Christmas tree they carry. This is the only purchase they consider important. They don't care about Black Fridays, Cyber Mondays, or Restock Tuesdays.

Van Der Veken's retro-modern style lends itself well to this image of optimism and hope. This Belgian illustrator is a practitioner of atoomstijl ("Atomic Style"), a throwback to the ligne claire style first popularized by that other Belgian illustrator, Hergé.

The "Atomic Style" is both retro and futuristic at the same time, evoking a postwar era in which a fascination with nuclear power and rocket science made anything seem possible. The couple is wearing clothes that evoke the 1950s era, a time when men wore fedoras and white gloves and women Chanel suits or Christian Dior jackets.

Pioneered by Yves Chaland, Ted Benoît, Serge Clerc, and Floc'h (who also created a New Yorker cover this year), atoomstijl or style atome sweeps away any hint of cynicism and fatigue that the December 7, 2009 issue may have showcased in the hands of a different illustrator.

Jan Van Der Veken, who signs as "Jan VDV," is young and energetic. As this website proclaims, "the positive attitude towards technology and the unlimited possibilities in the future of that era is reflected in all of his works."

In the short documentary featured on the website of his design company, Fabrica Grafica, we see him speeding along the streets of Ghent on a Vespa before we cut to footage of the artist in his studio.

Happy Holidays! The world may belong to the young, but a good holiday season belongs to us all.

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