"Souvenir" - about Ink and Pencil Drawings - New Book by Christoph Niemann
Christoph Niemann, one of the best illustrators in the world, has published a new book: "Souvenir". It is about traveling to distant or near places and tells about adventures in foreign areas.
At the age of 27, Niemann moved to New York right after his art studies and applied to the New York Times. There he promptly got his first job, which made him world-famous. He created 26 covers for the magazine "The New Yorker" and started the "Abstract Sunday" visual column for the Times in 2008.
In addition to his illustrations for the "New Yorker", the "New York Times", the "Financial Times" or the magazine "Wired", Niemann serves big clients such as Google or the Museum of Modern Art. For this reason, the man from Waiblingen was included in the Hall of Fame of the Art Directors Club in 2010.
Niemann is well-known for his reduced, minimalist style, with which he masterfully pictures complex facts in clear images. He experiments with means of expression such as potato stamps, Lego bricks or computer animations. For example, he published the "Petting Zoo" or "Chomps" apps for children, with which one can interacted with 52 of Niemann's animated scenes by the help of a live video function.
Niemann came back to Germany with his wife Lisa Zeitz, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Weltkunst", and his three sons. Since then they have lived in the Mitte district of Berlin, not far from Niemann's studio. However, the move did not result in a decrease with regards his commissional works from overseas. His clients have been remaining loyal to him. Niemann's drawings still come with a holistic understanding of US politics, the economy and society. Nevertheless, he wanted to develop his own ideas in Berlin next to commissioned projects.
He has done a very good job in this context with the book "Souvenir". In the illustrations, Niemann tries to make the pictures look as authentic as the moment was felt while visiting the places. This is his major issue. There are usually few strokes, which still reflect how the mood of a place was perceived.
Moreover, we can also recommend the current exhibition "That`s How" in the Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel for those interested in approaching the master illustrator Christoph Niemann. The exhibition lasts until 29th October 2017.
