THE TRUTH ABOUT TERRACES IN ILLUSTRATIONS
THE IMAGE OF SUMMER
As soon as the sun of spring launches its first rays, the cafes stand out their terraces.
Dulled by the past winter, spent stuck between their rooms and offices, clouds of human beings eager for air and hot sun begin to rush outside. They order a drink and turn their pale faces mechanically towards the beloved star.
At these first moments of the summer transhumance, it’s best not to take any photos or to realize too realistic drawings of these unfortunate people who only seek to fill their deficiency in vitamin D. Their faces are white, their features drawn, their glances dry and empty. Men and women are mixing around the tables, but it’s not the time to parade around. Like a Chrysalis that takes its time to become a beautiful graphic and colorful butterfly, man (and woman) on the terraces need a few days of exposure and warmth to get some colour into their cheeks, get their sparkle back, their elegance and their conquering beauty!
THE DRAWING THAT RESTORES THE TRUTH
For the human species, the café terraces are spaces of observation, that are necessary for their love conquest strategies. There is a lot of iconography on this subject, be it photographs, paintings, drawings, engravings or even illustrations. However, it’s the truth that few artists, journalists or reporters have dared to show to their contemporaries, who are restrained by the cultural rigidities of their times.
This lie by omission allowed the creation of the myth of the hunter-flirty man: “After having returned victorious from the hunt in the forest, the fop lays down dinner and its associated fur on a rock, then drags its muscles to the sun by the river to find a lover“. This practice, of course, also exists among men who you find on terraces, in a more modern version, but it is generally not very effective in terms of results at the level of conquests. It hides however a reality of our civilization which is the object of this drawing.
WOMEN ARE ALSO CONQUERORS
The images of Aldo Maccione have had their day. We must tell men, women, and girls who need to gain confidence in themselves, to go face the big world and that women are conquerors too! They also know how to be on the lookout in an unobstructed spot to watch the wildlife go by and think about their desires, their tastes, and their preferences!
This illustration shows a masculine character walking in front of a terrace consisting mainly of pretty ladies in observation position. Their sunglasses are adjusted and allow them to discreetly recover the information they need to better gauge their future conquests. Our man is not particularly muscular, but the vegetables that are hanging out over his bag betray qualities of a cook and dietician that are much appreciated nowadays by women. His step is flexible and light, he does not have a smartphone hanging on his ear: it is a very sought-after prey.
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