My Paris Sketchbook

Rating:
Summary: This Sketchbook Illuminates The City Of Lights!
Review: No city touches my soul like Paris. She is the queen of old world charm, of romantic ambiance, bourgeois elegance and bohemian grit. Fine art and cuisine flourish here, as do sidewalk cafes, flea markets and Parisian attitude. The Pont-Neuf, along the banks of the Seine, is one of my favorite places in the world. Artist Alain Bouldouyre, a longtime resident of the City of Light is obviously another person who has been captivated by the delights of Paris. Monsieur Bouldouyre is an illustrator and the artistic director of Senso magazine.

This richly visual sketchbook, filled with Bouldouyre's elegant watercolors, brings the city to life, in all her glory. His sophisticated palette of colors and sensitive line brilliantly capture the historic architecture, contemporary street scenes, the beauty of the Seine and its banks. The Place de la Concorde is depicted at sunrise. Readers are given a poetic portrait of the various Arrondissements and their attractions at different times of day and night, in natural light and illuminated by streetlights. We are taken to the Louvre, the Opera and down less frequented side streets. Christophe Auduraud's narrative complements the illustrations. Auduraud is a film critic and novelist, and a past scholar of the Villa Médicis, the French cultural institute in Rome.

The book has a lovely flow to it. It is handsomely bound with a linen spine and a color-washed cover painting. The paper is a heavy cream colored, heavily ribbed stock with notes written in longhand alongside the vibrant sketches. If you have been to Paris, this is a wonderful remembrance. If you have never been there, Bouldouyre' watercolors capture the city's essence better than any photograph could.
JANA