Study Task 1: Illustration and Authorship

An evaluation of authorship in relation to the illustrator and designer Jean Jullien. 

Known to inject humour and originality into everything he puts his hand to Jean Jullien is now at the demand of many famous and important clients within the creative industries and beyond. In 'the death of the author', Barthes, R. argues that 'writing is the destruction of every voice' and that 'it is language which speaks, not the author' (Barthes, R. 1968). When relating this to the practice of well-known illustrators such as Jean Jullien, with his visual 'language' (Barthes, R. 1968) now so easily recognisable, it seems valid to question whether his images are no longer being viewed on face-value but in relation to the gravity of his name within the industry.  

If this is the case, surely it provides him advantage over other practitioners within particular settings, as well as changes and influences how an audience value and appreciate his work. Barthes' theory proposed in relation to writing, provides a similar view in that 'to give a text an author is to impose a limit of that text' (Barthes, R 1968). It may be interesting to pose the question as to whether the recognisability of his images makes an audience or client more susceptible to highly rating his work and imposing less critical analysis over the aesthetic or concept. If so, then surely 'the birth of the reader must at the cost of the death of the author' (Barthes, R. 1968), as in order to see an illustration with clear mind who created must therefore be put out of the audience's knowledge. 

This argument may be made redundant when questioning the validity of authorship within illustration, similarly as Barthes, R. poses in 'The Death of the author' with relevance to the written word. The earliest definition of the author is stated as 'the person who originates or gives existence to anything' (Rock, M 1996). With this in mind, one must consider whether illustrators may claim authorship over their own practice as surely their work is a product of their own influences and the world we see around us. Jean Jullien's work is highly relevant to evaluate in relation to this theory, as his images often act as a commentary on current social and worldly issues. Therefore, his work acting as 'a visual collection of commentaries', with the aim of telling 'stories that people could relate to' (Butler, A 2014), surely it is valid to argue that he is not giving 'existence to anything' (Rock, M 1996) but simply reproducing what has already been seen. 

In contrast one may argue that we each view the world, whether with the motivation to be creative or not, through an individual lens. I value Jean Jullien's work because of it's originality, as although it highlights what may be seen to be obvious, it also pushes these issues into new light. 

Butler, A. (2014). interview with the creator of the peace for paris symbol, designer Jean Jullien. Available: http://www.designboom.com/art/interview-with-illustrator-and-designer-jean-jullien-11-27-2014/. Last accessed 25th Oct 2016.
Barthes, R. (1977). Death of the Author. In: Heath, S Image, Music, Text. London: Fontana Press. pg142-148.
Rock, M. (1996). The designer as author. Available: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/the-designer-as-author. Last accessed 25th Oct 2016.