Freudian Metaphors for Intimate Relationships by Marion Fayolle

Marion Fayolle (b. 1988) is a French comic artist who humorously depicts various aspects of sexual relationships or motherhood. Her style brings to mind illustrated books for kids, though the content visually describes the issues of their parents. The artist contributes to international press, such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Le Monde Magazine.

Fig. 1. Marion Fayolle with her books (ledauphine.com)

Fig. 2. Instagram.com

Fig. 3. L’Homme en pièces cover, 2011 (michellagarde.fr)

Fig. 4. La Tendresse des pierres, 2013 (bdangouleme.com)

Fig. 5. Les amours suspendues (m.media-amazon.com)

Fig. 6. Dirty Hands from L’Homme en pieces (pinterest.com)

From Egypt with Love

Marion Fayolle was born and grew up in Ardèche (Southern France). In 2006, she enrolled in the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg and, five years later, obtained a degree in illustration. Some articles also mention her Bachelor degree in Plastic Art in Valence. According to Wiki, while studying in Strasbourg, Fayolle started the magazine Nyctalope in collaboration with Simon Roussin and Matthias Malingrëy. Her first book was the graduation project L'homme en pièces (Human in Pieces) –– a collection of stories in pictures. Fayolle's style seems to be influenced by the visual art of ancient Egypt –– the story is often told through horizontal rows of two-dimensional figures depicted sideways (e. g. Dirty Hands). In her second book, La Tendresse des pierres (Tenderness of Stones), published in 2013, Fayolle reflects upon her father's illness. The artistic approach allowed her to look at the situation from various perspectives. As she says in her interview, "The father's character begins by undergoing strange physical changes, then he becomes a child who is taken care of, a rock that events damage, a tyrannical king, an actor in his dressing room before the final performance. It's both a way of de-dramatizing and a way of showing things differently to get closer to the truth".

Fig. 7. bande-dessinee.blogs.la-croix.com

Fig. 8. Plate from Les amours suspendues (grammartical.wordpress.com)

Fig. 12. Les Coquins (amazon.co.uk)

Fig. 13 . Instagram.com

Fig.14. Instagram.com

You can check out the extended edition of the article in Premium with special attention for Fayoll's 256-page comic strip Les amours suspendues (Suspended Loves), the aesthetics of her strips, her strip Les Coquins (The Rascals), and numerous examples of her ingenious erotic comics.

Click HERE for the covers and strips of the Rooie Oortjes magazine to make you giggle

Marion Fayolle is active on Instagram

Sources: instagram.com/fayollemarion/; cargocollective.com/marionfayolle; Wikipedia.org; Odile Morain. Meeting with Marion Fayolle, "Special Jury Prize" at the 2018 Angoulême festival (francetvinfo.fr); Isabelle Maradan, «Marion Fayolle, illustratrice: des Arts déco de Strasbourg au 'New York Times'» (letudiant.fr); Aurélien Lachaud, «Les Amours suspendues, ritournelle des sentiments | D'une case à l'autre (bande-dessinee.blogs.la-croix.com).