A photo of an artist and his watercolours capturing the French Open in real-time has the internet in awe.
Paris, France (13 June, 2023) — In a single sitting, an elderly spectator turns sport into art; bridging two worlds that have more in common than meets the eye. Art loves movement, sport is movement, both require trust in the process and the ability to see the bigger picture even when it isn’t clear. Joël Blanc captures all of the above, in the space of a match.
Captured at the recent French Open, a photo of the artist quietly bringing the match to life through watercolour went viral, simply captioned:
“This amazing artist started painting at the beginning of the match. Wooow!!”
Ushering in hundreds of thousands of likes, Blanc’s work got the internet talking. Using something of an endangered skill, Joël Blanc’s craft captured the court in real-time; a refreshing ‘throwback’ in a sea of digital art skillsets. No camera roll flooded with every single move. No reference photos and no ‘it’s probably A.I’ accusations, the mature Parisian spectator reminded his spectators of the simplicity and treasure of something reimagined, as it happens.
Documenting great sports moments through watercolour, Blanc has ventured from courts to fields and pools; soccer matches, racing events and even high jump.
Spectator Diaries
Art and sports lovers joined on the internet’s field agreeing that Blanc is one of those off-court icons to look out for wherever his watercolours take him.
As for this year’s French Open, South Africans raised the Rainbow Nation’s flag proudly, with two local tennis stars becoming court royalty by earning their Grand Slam titles on Saturday.
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