French graphic designer Yann Legendre writes (and illustrates) the column “Plat du Jour” on Rockpaperink.com. It’s not the only place to encounter his work (his drawings have been silkscreened onto duvet covers at CB2, for goodness’ sake) but here he’s so damn charming. You’ll find yourself following his whimsy around Paris — in the Louvre, for instance, sitting in front of his favorite Rubens paintings. But wait, what does Rubens have to do with design? That’s when Legendre leans in, in his Columbo-like way, and points out the clues. See the similarities between Rubens and comic book artist Jack Kirby? Yes! How could I have not noticed before?
Even five years living in Chicago only heightened his ardor for home, and it had the salutary effect of giving him insight into an American audience. And as Hemingway testified: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” See Legendre’s portraits of writers who lived and wrote in Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries at, where else, The Paris Review.
