ARTISTS

Why did so many European artists, writers and intellectuals from Van Gogh to Henri Matisse and Ernest Hemingway use Moleskine? We believe this rich history of Moleskine patrons teaches us how simple tools assist inspiration. It's merely about a well-made book that can be a trusted, reliable companion that is always at the ready.

In Ernest Hemingway's memoir, Moveable Feast, he chronicles Paris in the 1920s just after World War I while spending time writing in various Paris cafés. Hemingway reflects on the quintessential moments ordering a cafe au lait and pulling out his notebook and pencil from his pocket to start writing. It is this simple ritual that he describes so well - that comfortable feeling, when even in the mist of a bustling café, one can immerse oneself into thoughtful prose or a delicate sketch. During his time in Paris, Hemingway apparently had also been working on The Sun Also Rises using his trusted Moleskine. Not a surprising notion to those that have come to know and love Moleskine.

Nowadays, Moleskine users around the world come from very different fields: writers, artists, adventurers, journalists, engineers, doctors, surgeons, managers, students, professors and more…

Vincent Van Gogh – Holland
Amongst Van Gogh’s most famous works, you would certainly recognize: Cafe Terrace at Night, The Starry Night, Sunflowers…

At age 27, Van Gogh became an artist after having frequently changed jobs from teacher, pastor or picture dealer… In his 10-years creative journey, Van Gogh created his own form of expressionism to become undoubtedly one of the greatest painters in human history. Nowadays, Van Gogh’s paintings are highly recognized all around the world, but during his life, only one of his paintings was sold. One of Van Gogh’s most notable works is the “Sunflowers”, for which he did the sketches on a Moleskine. Now, Seven notebooks belonging to Vincent van Gogh and dating back from 1881 to 1890 are on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Henri Matisse - France
”Dance”, “Jazz” are some of Matisse’s most famous paintings.

Henri Matisse was one of the first painters of the Fauvist ("Wild Beast") movement to be interested in “primitive” art, together with his contemporary Derain. Matisse abandoned the palette of the Impressionists and established his characteristic style, with its flat, brilliant colors and fluid lines. His subjects were primarily women, interiors, and still life. He developed his work as a balance between colour and line, in flat compositions, without the traditional techniques trying to provide the illusion of depth. Matisse regularly used a Moleskine, as a sketchbook, to gain inspiration to his large paintings.

Pablo Picasso - Spain
Amongst its prolific body of work, you could single out “Boy with a pipe”, “Les Noces de Pierrette”, “Dora Maar with Cat”…

Picasso is known as the most influential artist in the 20th century. During his 80-year creative life, Picasso’s style has always evolved, starting from his more classical early Blue and Rose period. He is one of the innovators who started one of the important and influential art movements, Cubism, which revolutionized European painting and sculpture in the 20th century. In cubist artworks, objects are broken up, analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form — instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to present the piece in a greater context. Besides paintings, Picasso also produced sculptures, block print and ceramic artwork... He drew regularly on notebooks that were the inspiration for the Moleskine Cahiers.

Andre Breton - France
This writer, poet, and surrealist theorist, is mainly known for his novels including“ Nadja and L'Amour Fou.

Under Breton's direction, surrealism became an intellectual movement that influenced all domains of art, and called into question the origin of human understanding and human perception. Dissatisfied with the Vichy government, Breton sought refuge in the United States and the Caribbean in 1941. Breton returned to Paris in 1946, where he intervened against French colonialism (for example as a signatory of the Manifesto of the 121 against the Algerian war) and continued, until his death, to foster a new group of surrealist thinkers, through countless exhibitions and reviews.

Ernest Hemingway - USA
His most recognized novels include The Old Man and the Sea and The Garden of Eden.

The influence of Hemingway's writings on American literature was considerable and continues today. Indeed, the influence of his style is so widespread that it may be glimpsed in most contemporary fiction, as writers draw inspiration either from Hemingway himself or indirectly through writers who more consciously emulated Hemingway's style. In 1954, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. In Ernest Hemingway's memoir, Moveable Feast, he chronicles Paris in the 1920s just after World War I, while spending time writing in various Paris cafés. During his time in Paris, Hemingway apparently had been working on The Sun Also Rises using his trusted Moleskine.

Bruce Chatwin – United Kingdom
This novelist is mainly recognized for his travel writings, such as The Songlines.

Chatwin is admired for his spare, lapidary style and his innate story-telling abilities. In 1972, Chatwin was hired by the Sunday Times Magazine as an adviser on art and architecture. His association with the magazine cultivated his narrative skills and he traveled on many international assignments. He picked up on the beauty of the Moleskine pocket journals and was instrumental in making it famous. He always stocked up before going on his famous journeys. He had a ritual set up over the years: before using them, he numbered the pages, wrote his name and his latest address with the promise of a reward in case they got lost. To quote him, “Losing my passport was the least of my worries, losing a notebook was a catastrophe”.

Luis Sepulveda - Chile
This writer, film director, journalist and political activist is the writer of the international best seller The Old Man Who Read Love Stories.

This famous Chilean artist is widely acknowledged as a major writer, especially in Europe. Luis Sepulveda is amongst the famous Moleskine user, as was recorded in his book Full Circle.

Vincent Van Gogh – Holland Amongst Van Gogh’s most famous works, you would certainly recognize: Cafe Terrace at Night, The Starry Night, Sunflowers…

Henri Matisse - France ”Dance”, “Jazz” are some of Matisse’s most famous paintings.

Pablo Picasso - Spain Amongst its prolific body of work, you could single out “Boy with a pipe”, “Les Noces de Pierrette”, “Dora Maar with Cat”…

Andre Breton - France This writer, poet, and surrealist theorist, is mainly known for his novels including“ Nadja and L'Amour Fou.

Ernest Hemingway - USA His most recognized novels include The Old Man and the Sea and The Garden of Eden.

Bruce Chatwin – United Kingdom This novelist is mainly recognized for his travel writings, such as The Songlines.