Eric Hanson, Coffee House Press‘s artist-in-residence at the Minneapolis Institute of Art’ Research and Reference Library, has been awfully busy lately. In his latest post, Eric explores Versailles and Louis XIV…or is it Louis XIV and Versailles? You be the judge, and be sure to follow all his musings (written and illustrated) here on MIA Stories, or over at CHP In The Stacks.
In the Stacks with Eric Hanson: Versailles
I like drawing from aerial photos of cityscapes and palaces like this one of Versailles. It’s like assembling a puzzle: draw one building, then look at the reference and begin another adjacent building, working outward. The more elaborate the subject the more it helps to draw quickly. Any mistakes that occur become an interesting part of the drawing. The bust of Louis XIV is from the same book about Versailles. Did Louis create Versailles or did Versailles create Louis?
About Eric: His illustrations and writing have appeared in Vanity Fair, Harper’s, New York Times, Rolling Stone, McSweeney’s and The Atlantic. A Book of Ages, published in 2008, is his wittily curated collection of moments in the lives of the famous. He also creates children’s books. He will discuss his MIA residency and present new work inspired by it on Thursday, June 19th at 7pm in the MIA’s Friends Community Room, during Third Thursday: Get Local. You’re invited. Until then, you have his words and drawings.