Kevin Lucbert treats art as a means of expression and communication. “Art creates a distancing effect that allows the artist to express his own ideas to an audience in a peaceful manner,” he explained in an interview with Jung Katz. For Lucbert, these expressions rely heavily on the color blue.
Born in 1985 in Paris, and awarded a diploma in 2008 from the National School of Decorative Arts of Paris, Lucbert is currently based between Berlin and Paris. A member of an artist collective, The Ensaders, he participates regularly in performances and exhibitions and leads drawing workshops. He has also collaborated with publications and brands like The New York Times, Hermès, and even Starbucks.
But he is perhaps best known for his blue-toned illustrations. Working mainly with a blue biro BIC pen on Moleskine drawing paper, he admits that he likes his toolbox to be simple and light, so that it can be carried anywhere. “I like the idea of expressing the most with the humblest implement,” he adds. “I love working on monochrome pictures because they communicate directly the idea they want to express with great visual impact. Decorative and superficial elements become less important then.”
His inspiration comes easily. Sometimes it is found in his dreams, other times it is a simple geometrical pattern. He’s also inspired by writers and artists, mentioning authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Philip K. Dick, alongside David Lynch movies and artists like M.C. Escher, Alfred Kubin, Caspar David Friedrich, Saul Steinberg, and David Hockney. “I admire also children books artists like Tomy Ungerer and also comic books artists like François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters,” Lucbert adds. “Their wonderful comic book La Tour was one of my biggest influences as a child.”
Enter some of his blue, blue worlds:
