Picha (Jean-Paul Walravens) (1942) - Cheval de dos

Artist: Picha (Jean-Paul Walravens, Brussels, 1942)
Nationality: Belgian
Title: Back View of a Horse

Date: No date (second half of the 20th century)

Technique: Charcoal on paper – original drawing hand-made with very pronounced shading and subtle highlights creating a velvety, atmospheric sfumato

Signature: Signed at the bottom right of the drawing, Picha

Dimensions: 28 × 20 cm (work) – 42.5 × 32.5 cm (with frame)

Framing: Magnificent museum-grade display in a luxurious light wood “treasure chest” type frame with deep white passe-partout and protective glass (included)

Condition: Very good condition – paper intact, charcoal perfectly preserved, no notable wear.

Edition: Unique work. Original drawing executed by hand by the artist.

Description of the work:
Powerful and poetic black-and-white composition depicting the head and neck of a horse seen strictly from behind. The charcoal treatment is of rare sensibility: an exceptional shading creates a dreamy, velvety blur, almost phantom-like, from which the animal emerges with a presence that is both monumental and evanescent. With ears erect, the strong line of the mane and the subtle modeling of the neck, it is rendered with a mastery of chiaroscuro that evokes the great sfumato masters while maintaining a modern Belgian sensibility of the 20th century.

This rare work in Picha’s known production reveals a more intimate and contemplative facet of the artist, far from his usual satirical and erotic universe. The horse becomes here a symbol of quiet strength, mystery, and animal nobility, transcended by an almost spiritual atmosphere.

The art of Picha:
Jean-Paul Walravens, known as Picha, is primarily famous for his cult comic books and animated feature films ("The Missing Link", "The Big Bang"). Yet his drawing talent goes far beyond satire and cinema. His easel drawings, often done in charcoal or ink, testify to great technical mastery and unexpected poetic sensitivity. “Back View of a Horse” is a remarkable example: the artist displays virtuosity in the handling of matter and light that places this piece among his most accomplished works and highly sought after by Belgian art enthusiasts of the 20th century.

Biography of the artist:
Picha, real name Jean-Paul Walravens, was born July 2, 1942 in Brussels. Trained at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels, he began his career as a press illustrator in the 1960s (Pan, Hara-Kiri, etc.). He quickly became one of the great names in Belgian and international comics thanks to a recognizable style and dark humor, often erotic and surreal.

At the same time, he ventured into animation cinema with feature-length films that achieved worldwide success. His oeuvre, protean, oscillates between fierce satire and more personal plastic research. His original drawings, less numerous than his BD pages, are highly regarded for their graphic quality and rarity. They are held in major private collections and have been auctioned several times. Picha remains today a major figure of contemporary Belgian art, recognized both for his narrative genius and for his exceptional drawing mastery.