Jazz Culture: Joost Swarte

Publication of the book “New York Book” by Joost Swarte at Dargaud editions.

The inventor of the concept of the clear line, the Dutch designer Joost Swarte publishes all the illustrations he made for the weekly “New Yorker” in the book “New York Book”Published by Dargaud.

What could be more prestigious in the world of illustration than to design the cover of the “New Yorker”? Joost Swarte is therefore part of the very closed club made up of illustration legends such as Peter Arno, William Steig, Saul Steinberg, Sempé, André François or Art Spiegelman. In this generous book, modeled by Joost Swarte himself, the reader will find all of his work for the American magazine, as well as numerous unpublished drawings, sketches and research.

Joost Swarte has also drawn a lot around music in general and the jazz universe in particular. We remember his CD covers for the Dutch label Lucho in the mid-90s or the festival poster he produced in 1982 for the Nancy Jazz Pulsations …

Along with the release of the book, an exhibition is held at the Martel Gallery in Paris, until March 17 : there are both the originals of works intended for the New Yorker, and other drawings by the master. A whole art of angle and reverse shot, where the static appearance is always disturbed by movement, in the way in which the swing defies the tranquility of a ballad. As for the clear line, it is obviously the first thing left to the melody …

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