Given the opportunity, Bored Panda reached out to Simon De Thuillières, a French illustrator with a unique artistic perspective, blending modern movies with medieval aesthetics.
When asked about his process of selecting elements for his pieces, De Thuillières explained, "I chose to represent the works according to the elements that make it typically recognizable: a cult scene, a replica, or their poster if it is iconic. I replace absolutely everything with medieval equivalences, which pushes me to make quite tasty creations or evocations."
Discussing the inspiration behind his unique concept, Simon mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic as the catalyst. He said, "The starting point for this creative adventure was the period of confinement linked to the spread of the great plague (COVID). Everyone wondered if society was going to collapse, and if we were going to fall back into a period of regression, such as one can imagine in the Middle Ages.
Personally, the idea of going back to the Middle Ages seemed fitting to me from the moment I envisioned what could exist in cinema. So, I began distributing versions of cinema posters reinterpreted using the graphic and symbolic codes of the Middle Ages.."
Addressing the balance between medieval and modern elements in his work, he noted, "The notion of balance between medieval and modern elements is almost non-existent; everything must correspond as closely as possible to medieval aesthetics: decorations, friezes, initials, and the representation of places and characters, all taken from miniatures.
Of course, I have to rely on my inspiration to create equivalents for elements unknown in the Middle Ages, such as cell phones, computers, or spaceships.
Another challenging aspect for non-French speakers is the literary aspect of my creations. Indeed, the text is also medievalized, translated into Old French. This aspect delights my community as much as my drawings." He explained to Bored Panda.
On the selection of movies for his artwork, Simon revealed that it's mostly based on personal tastes and works that impacted his youth.
"My selection of popular works is essentially based on my personal tastes and the works that had the most impact on me during my youth. That is why I started with classic films from the 90s. Then, I attempted to diversify my creations by including cartoons and video games.
Currently, I believe I can adapt almost any type of film (as long as I enjoy it)."
His fascination with history greatly influences his work. Simom mentioned to us that he is a part of a medieval re-enactment group and practices Historical European Martial Arts. Regarding accuracy in his work, he explained, "The medieval details present in my illuminations are primarily derived from historical sources. I extensively utilize the website of the BNF (National Library of France), which provides an incredible wealth of complete documents.
Furthermore, I have amassed my own library of visual sources over the years, curated based on aesthetic preferences."
