The term "Marcinelle school" (french: École de Marcinelle) or "Charleroi school" (''École de Charleroi'') refers to a group of

Belgian cartoonists Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

formed by Joseph Gillain (known as

Jijé Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) a ...

) following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The first generation, known as the "Bande à quatre" ("Gang of four"), consisted of Jijé and his assistants Franquin,

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

and

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

. Marcinelle school cartoonists were all associated with the weekly magazine, '' Spirou'', whose offices in the 1940s were located in the town of

Marcinelle Marcinelle (; wa, Mårcinele) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Until 1977, it was a municipality of its own. Home of the comics publisher Dupuis, as many po ...

, near

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The style of these cartoonists soon became the preferred in-house style for artists working at the influential ''Spirou'' magazine, and thus had a huge impact on the

Belgian comics Belgian comics are a distinct subgroup in the comics history, and played a major role in the development of European comics, alongside France with whom they share a long common history. While the comics in the two major language groups and regio ...

and Franco-Belgian comics scene, inspiring generations of cartoonists.

Style

Stylistically, the Marcinelle school is a mix of cartoonish and realist, and is also sometimes called ''comic-dynamic'' ("comic" here refers to "comical", not the medium). It is often cited in books in opposition to

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...

's ''

ligne claire ''Ligne claire'' ( French for "clear line", ; nl, klare lijn) is a style of drawing created and pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian cartoonist and creator of ''The Adventures of Tintin''. It uses clear strong lines sometimes of varied width and n ...

'' style. Though these two styles have much in common, Marcinelle school is all about conveying the impression of

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

, while ''ligne claire'' tends to be more

schematic A schematic, or schematic diagram, is a designed representation of the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the key information the sc ...

List of artists

The artists most closely associated to the Marcinelle school are: * Joseph Gillain (Jijé) *

André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are '' Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to 1968, a period s ...

* Maurice de Bevere (Morris) *

Willy Maltaite Willy Maltaite (; 30 October 1927 – 18 February 2000), better known by the pseudonym Will (), was a Belgian comics creator and comics artist in the Franco-Belgian tradition. In the genre known in Francophone countries as bande dessinée, Will ...

(Will) *

Eddy Paape Edouard Paape (3 July 1920 – 12 May 2012), commonly known as Eddy Paape, was a Belgian comics artist best known for illustrating the series ''Luc Orient''. Biography Eddy Paape was born in Grivegnée (now a part of Liège), Belgium in 1920 ...

* Pierre Culliford (Peyo) *

Jean Roba Jean Roba (28 July 1930 – 14 June 2006) was a Belgian comics author from the Marcinelle school. His best-known work is ''Boule et Bill''. Biography Jean Roba was born in Schaerbeek, Belgium.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Roba". In België gestript, p ...

Victor Hubinon Victor Hubinon (26 April 1924 – 8 January 1979) was a Belgian comic-book artist, best known for the series ''Buck Danny'' and ''Redbeard''. Biography Victor Hubinon was born in Angleur, Belgium, in 1924.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Victor Hubino ...

Other artists considered part of the School include: *

Jean de Mesmaeker Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

(Jidéhem) *

Paul Deliège Paul Deliège (21 January 1931 – 7 July 2005) was a Belgian artist and writer of comics. He is most famous for his series ''Bobo''. Biography Deliège was born in Olne. He started in the daily ''Le Soir'' with ''Père Bricole et Félicie ...

Pierre Seron Pierre Seron (9 February 1942 – 24 May 2017) was a Belgian comic book artist. Biography He spent the first few years of his life in Liège then followed the work transfers of his father, an engineer, to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Libourne, F ...

Maurice Tillieux Maurice Tillieux (7 August 1921 – 2 February 1978) was a Belgians, Belgian writer and comic artist. He is regarded by many as a major figure of post-World War II, war Belgian comics. Early life Maurice Tillieux was born in Huy in 1921. At f ...

François Walthéry François Walthéry (born 17 January 1946 in Argenteau near Liège) is a Belgian comics artist, best known for his series featuring an adventurous flight attendant, '' Natacha''. Biography Walthéry began his career in 1962 during studies a ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Dupuis page on Jijé discussing the core group and characteristics of the Marcinelle school
Belgian comics Bandes dessinées Comics terminology Belgian inventions