The Erotic Bondage Art of Georges Pichard

In the annals (hee) of kinky comix, there are a few artists who stand head and shoulders above the crowd. Milo Manara needs no introduction, and we've discussed my love of Guido Crepax and John Willie in posts past. An artist who I feel doesn't get nearly the adoration and (in)famy he deserves is French artist Georges Pichard.

Pichard began his career in 1946 with illustrations in mainstream publications, eventually moving into comic strips and then producing his first erotic work, "Blanche Epiphanie," in 1967, beginning what would be a 40-year career in naughty books. Late in his life, he taught at l'Ecole des Arts Appliques in Paris (where he had been a student). Pichard died in 2003, leaving the world with a tremendous legacy of erotic art.

Pichard's work is characterized by impossibly voluptuous, dark-eyed women who frequently find themselves in bondage ranging from the flirtatious to the gruesome. In my opinion, the artist is at his best when he's at his most grotesque, eschewing the boundaries of what most would consider to be arousing.

His technique is precise and beautiful, employing fluid line-work and pointillist shadows. His pages are often separated by clever forms of architecture, like the gothic arches and Valentine hearts found throughout "Marie-Gabrielle," a story of bondage and discipline set largely within a convent of sadistic nuns.

Panels like the above, from his "Countess in Red" which details a sexually-charged retelling of the Countess Bathory legend, show his talent for juxtaposing extreme S&M imagery with more traditional sensuality.

A Series of Tubes That Leads to More Pichard:

If anybody was looking for a very fine birthday present for me (you have till October 5th), one of these original Pichard pages would make a suitable tribute. Just sayin'.

Comic Creator: Georges Pichard

ENORMOUS gallery of Pichard scans

Penetrating Insights: Georges Pichard