INTERVIEW
Introducing Dror Cohen
We're super pleased to welcome New York based illustrator, Dror Cohen, to Grand Matter, who joins us as we launch our US office!
In gouache, Dror paints tableau-like scenes, conveying moods and situations. We love her vivid use of colour and the way she captures a moment stopped in time, an eloquent pause that tells a story. Inspired by theatre, dance and fashion, Dror's work lends itself to all sorts of outputs from editorial publishing to branding, culture, fashion, and much more. Her clients include The New Yorker, Port Magazine, WeTransfer and The Washington Post, amongst others, and we're excited to see her work in new contexts to come.
To introduce her way of working in more detail, we spoke with Dror about what goes into creating her paintings, how her heritage influences her work, and spending time at The Met gallery + more!
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I find it interesting to look for expression outside the face, in body language, in the way fabric falls on an object, or in the distance between people and objects.
– Dror Cohen
How would you describe your work in one sentence?
A practice based primarily on color, and a search for something dream-like in any scene.
What are your main influences or inspirations as an artist?
A major influence is the stage - dance and theatre. Not anything more specific, but the idea of the stage, actors, a set. That you can place objects, move them. And the curtain! By thinking of the theatre I can take some of the realism out of paining. My scenes tend to be naturalistic, but then I might use certain clothes like costumes, or use repetitions, or exaggerated gestures, or an environment that is arranged like a set. This makes the scene less grounded, or reminiscent of a play.
Having grown up in Israel, would you say your heritage influences your work in any way?
While Israel is very crowded and over-built, most of it is actually desert, which is more open and sparse. If you go out to the desert you can see the horizon, which is something that I look for in my work. We used to go on trips outdoors quite often as kids, so the desert scenery is familiar. You can see into the distance, as nothing obstructs your view. That makes the picture a little flat. There is very little in the landscape, and yet it is very dramatic and pretty.
How do you create your pieces?
My process always starts as a search, which is a part I really love. I work off a few basic associations, and search through movies, books, and picture magazines. Even when I don’t have a specific project in mind, I’m always looking around for any image that might be prove useful. I collect anything that seems interesting and promising.
Then I construct the scene like a collage, combining little bits of different sources, moving them around until I find they tell a story that feels right. Once I have a composition, I look for colors. Then I can turn to paper, pencil, and gouache, and continue the search in the physical mediums.
You often paint figures and people with faces obscured or with minimal detail, is that a conscious choice you’ve made?
Yes, that’s true - even when the face is visible, I often choose a facial expression that is rather less revealing. I find it interesting to look for expression outside the face, in body language, in the way fabric falls on an object, or in the distance (or lack of it) between people and objects.
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I often use dancers as a reference for a character, even when there is no dancing in the scene. It’s because they are so good at expressing mood with their body. Fashion models and actors are also good at that.
– Dror Cohen
We love the individual moments you depict, which often infer movement in some way, figures dancing, or a breeze in the air. Can you tell us more about this?
Movement is essential in creating a scene, and body language tells us so much about who someone is and the situation in the image. The same can be said for lack of movement, or movement that is very extended over time. Static posture is very revealing as well.
I often use dancers as a reference for a character - even when there is no dancing in the scene. It’s because they are so good at expressing mood with their body. Fashion models and actors are also good at that.
What do you like to explore with your self-initiated work?
I always work on my own projects in between commissioned work. It’s usually smaller things rather than large projects. I like to try out very simple stuff. For example, I try very large formats, and then very small ones, observing the difference for a single painting. Or I would move a single object in a painting over a few frames.
What’s your favourite place to visit or spend time in New York?
It’s very difficult to choose just one, so I’ll go with two. I love a bakery downtown called Frenchette. Apart from everything there being so delicious, the bakery sits in a peculiar sort of lobby, or service hall, of a building. It's a great place to people watch.
It's not very secret but definitely a favorite - The Met. It’s free for residents, so you can always pop in for a little bit, which I find much more enjoyable. And it’s endless.
And I also like taking the ferry down the East River.
And finally, who are your bucket list clients, projects, or dream collaborations?
There are so many things I really want to work on. I think I’m lucky that so often I get commissioned for a project, just to find out it’s exactly what I wanted to do right now. I would love to work with the fields that inspire me - theatre, dance, fashion. More generally, I’m very happy when the content is interesting. A good piece of writing is a lot of fun to work with.
About Dror Cohen
Gouache illustrator, Dror Cohen, creates scenes and compositions full of narrative and atmosphere, capturing moments in time. Clients include The New Yorker, Port Magazine, WeTransfer and The Washington Post amongst many others.
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