Cocoquelicots
Maxime Giaquinto is a French artist who draws from a very young age. He found his inspirations everywhere, and it doesn’t leave him anymore.
He used to go in a video club down the street when he was younger. He mainly watched horror movies with his big brother. While he watched 1979 Alien movie, he got his first visual choc mostly because of H. R. Giger design for the alien. This talented scenographer would then influence Maxime's work, as did the biologist Ernst Haeckel. His line accuracy in his illustrations and artworks still fascinates him. Moreover, he was inspired the (crazy) world of Tex Avery as well - including the Shadoks.
After he had done with France school, he went in Tournai in Belgium that he trained for illustration. Then he became interested in painting and particularly in engraving, and he continued his apprenticeship in Liège for a few years.
The creation of Cocoquelicots takes place while he was working with engraving.
A Character was born out of the need for his creator — mostly a portrait painter — to distance himself from academic institutions.
Cocoquelicots are insolent, mocking and colorful characters. The accompanying drips are made in automatic writing. The artist lets his hand run over the support to make the illustration more dense.
