What this picture made by Etienne Delessert tells us about time?
The illustration shows us a dial. On it, it ‘s 8.15 AM... or 8.15 PM
The time is shown.
The sun above the horizon confirmed this hour, this time.
But is it morning or evening?
The colors of the scene seem merely closer to the morning. But it is not sure. This is the time suggested.
1 - What will do the reader?
One will, consciously or not, and mostly unconsciously, choose the moment that seems obvious, either morning or evening, because he needs it to navigate into the image.
He can also remain floating in its interpretation.
He has no key to be sure between morning and evening.
He will watch the image with a small frustration, perhaps even without knowing where it came from.
With the characters, we have another approach to time: the age of the characters.
The reader assigns an age almost immediately:
Here it’s important to understand that we have a kid and an adult cat. That way, simply to be able to develop around them: A way to move, to speak, things closely related to their age.
Legibility, quality of representation, is important for the reader. In their place, a kitten, a teenager, the scene will be completely different.
The illustrator suggests being particularly attentive to the Time. Did you notice how the cat eyes look at the dial? How he seems concerned by the Time?
His eyes reflect a hint of anxiety or impatience to read the dial.
Now, look at the girl: she is crossing her arms. She is waiting. And you are like her, as a reader settles well in an atmosphere of impatient expectation, confirmed by the attitude of the girl.
Both characters play a role, they act.
The perception of the duration of their action is the creative work of the reader.
But every reader will dose the duration of the action by his experiences, his culture, and his sensibility.
For example:
- One would imagine waiting a long time if he had such time.
- Another one will shorten it unconsciously because he does not have expectation.
This creation of action time, of rate stage, is crucial to reconstruct the scene.
It is also an important part of the appropriation of the image by the reader.
The picture proposes also diffusely a particular time or period. But there is no way to tell which time or period it is.
Several factors lead us to identify:
- Clothes
- Hairstyle of the girl.
Here, the illustrator does not seem to show a specific time. Maybe his idea was to create a timeless image.
Or, maybe it was not his concern at all.
If there is no time suggested there is still the style of the illustrator. His style can tell us a something about a particular period of time.
What do you think? 50s. 60s. 70s. Yesterday?
Generally, an average reader will not need this information to assess the illustration, but an art director for example, could very well ignite if it is "trendy". The same Art Director can reject it if he found it "unfashionable”.
Our time is very sensitive to the current taste.
I would say that here, for this image: the presence, strength, quality, special style allows him to escape the dictates of fashion. This is just a good illustrator.
I would like to tell you something more related to the style. Something hidden.
Each illustration bears a "reading tempo”.
The tempo is different depending on the techniques of representation, as the time it took the illustrator to do his illustration.
The image here is very elaborated. The reader will spend time to read it.
At least out of respect for its rich graphics. As a result, the actions he will read will be perceived as "slow".
Now, imagine a stage slap with the same style?
And, imagine a slap drawn by Etienne Delessert?
Or by Serge Bloch, or by Jaime Zollars.
In Serge Bloch or any other cartoonist, the slap would be perceived rapid, violent.
With Jaime Zollars, the gesture would certainly be slower. And in her style, probably the gesture would be idle. With her ability to become symbolic, the image will have a hidden meaning beyond the physical act (if the context was favorable).
Imagine making a high speed slap in a technique called "slow, very slow” in a lively style.
(Lisbeth Zwerger does illustration with watercolors and with this medium resolves such situation).
Anyway, normally an illustration is not out of context. The accompanying text is usually a major provider of temporal information and gives the reader what he needs to clarify the picture.
