Skin

Drawing is Esther’s passion. While she used to make demands of herself that were far too ambitious, now she’s trying to do what she enjoys most. Rita is a middle-aged woman who has just got divorced and whose daughter doesn't like visiting her. To get a new grip on her life, Rita challenges herself by becoming a nude model in drawing classes given by Esther. Both women are at a crossroads in their lives. Esther meets a man who eventually breaks her heart and Rita has to learn to deal with her new life, without her daughter.

The drawing lessons provide the framework for this extraordinary graphic novel debut by illustrator Sabien Clement and dramatist and author Mieke Versyp. Vulnerability and courage, looking and being looked at, daring to be naked and closeness are all central themes. Clement uses watercolours and tries to capture her characters in as few lines as possible. There are generally no backgrounds and the range of colours is limited, but within those boundaries the artist goes all out. This results in highly varied pages and strikingly lively and animated characters. The authors prove themselves excellent observers of body language, human relationships and dialogue, and succeed in maintaining a certain lightness throughout.