Ludwig Bemelmans

Ludwig Bemelmans is best known for his creation of the legendary children's book character, Madeline.  That typical little Parisian school girl has graced the bookshelves of countless children around the world for years, including mine.  I recently stumbled across a drawing of Bemelmans' that captured my adult interest just as his Madeline once captured my childhood imagination.  I'm no artist and don't pretend to know much of anything about visual art.  Nevertheless, Bemelmans' drawings seem almost to be "stream of consciousness" to me--lines that seem to never end, looping and turning and dancing across the page, creating some of the most elegantly idiosyncratic little scenes I've ever seen.

Profile of a Lady. 

ink, wash, and graphite

St. James's Park. 

ink and gouache on paper

(image above)

Self Portrait. 

pen, black ink, and grey wash

Chef tasting wine.

watercolor and ink on paper