Etienne Viollet

The inaugural volume of our new collection, Archives de Motifs, dedicated to the applied decorative arts. Etienne Violett pulls the heritage of traditional wallpaper patterns into a surreal, subconscious landscape where whales have wings and birds’ beaks transform into keys. Inspired by word play, his trusty ballpoint pens and the working of his own subconscious, he builds whimsical, slightly gothic compositions. Dense repetitions of flora, fauna, and man-made functional objects deepen the mystery, in an immersive testament to the power of applied arts to transform everyday surroundings. Archives de Motifs Vol. 1 marks a milestone for Lebled Soloviev Editions as the debut title of our new collection exploring pattern, design, and decorative arts. Etienne Viollet is the first in a line of artists to demonstrate that functional art and interior design is every bit as compelling and culturally significant as fine art. Viollet challenges the safety of traditional decorative patterns like the twee Toile de Jouy or William Morris, replacing them with a dark pastoral aesthetic. Hand drawn with Bic pens and using intricate ink hatching, he captures both physical gravity and whimsy, with designs walking the edge between the somber and the absurd. Surreal hybrid forms — such as whale-dragonfly creatures, or animals intertwined with locks and keys — emerge from Violett’s subconscious through his technique of automatic sketching and linguistic word games. The resulting designs are a breathing site of surrealism, elevating a simple decorative surface treatment into an artistic discipline.a