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A tribute to the human gaze

From Looking Came Seeing

Ingrid Godon & Paul de Moor

Right from the very first sentence, ‘From Looking Came Seeing’ submerges the reader in the sense of loss felt by a woman whose husband has gone from her life for ever, even though we are not told the cause of their separation. Ingrid Godon, with characteristic brilliance, portrays the loneliness, emptiness or aimlessness that his departure brings with it. In a soft, carefully considered palette, she closes down and opens out the woman’s world. The book is not coloured merely by dark undertones. Memories become clouded, desires waft in, and dark shadows give way to the light of a new life. Paul de Moor, for his part, succeeds in capturing in language the melancholy rhythm to which the drawings move. His meandering verses describe the woman sleeping on the pillow of her cravings. They fill Godon’s white spaces and geometrical figures with all too human emotions, culminating in the promise of a new beginning.

A collaboration between two gifted artists which resulted in a magnificent picture book.
Tzum

‘From Looking Came Seeing’ demonstrates Godon’s artistic versatility and skill as an internationally renowned illustrator. The woman she portrays, who never looks at the reader, takes shape in colourful, detailed portraits and plain outlines by turns. A recurring element in both the pictures and the text are wavering geometric shapes that as a result of Godon’s clever use of colour make subtle reference to the woman. Add to them the atmospheric, penetrating and poetic use of language by Paul de Moor and you find yourself in a book that speaks to the imagination on every page. ‘From Looking Came Seeing’ is without doubt both a homage and an invitation to the human gaze.

Each image is a true piece of art.
Bazarow
A powerful picture book about the power of imagination
Lees-wijzer