Jean-Paul Girard: The Intimate Journal of a Double

Jean-Paul Girard, born in 1954 and based in Évreux, has maintained an intimate journal for 23 years, combining precise drawings on the left with sketches on the right. His work explores the concept of a double—an inner artist revealed at age 17 and a half through a cousin. Girard began with painting but switched to drawing full-time 31 years ago, finding painting superficial. His series, including the Intimate Journal (started September 1977), Mémoire(s), Inventaires, and Iguazu (1988–1993, 49 drawings kept from 77), are dictated by his double via verbal hallucinations from 1983 to 2003. The Intimate Journal served as a safeguard against auditory hallucinations but not a balm. Girard's work reflects a separation from his own body, a reconquest through drawing, and themes of solitude, absence, and catharsis. The triptych "Le Chinois de la douleur" references a self-mutilation act 15 years ago, blending pleasure and pain. His work was exhibited in 1999 at Maison des arts d'Évreux and in 2004 at Galerie Du Bellay, Rouen. Photographer Jean Rault, a longtime friend, conducted the interview in November 2007. Recent solo shows include 2006 at Galerie Nei Liicht, Dudelange, Luxembourg, and 2007 at Institut franco-japonais de Yokohama.