Hotel Cafe | Isabella Cotier
Image: Isabella Cotier’s “Hotel Cafe” (2023) © Isabella Cotier | Partnership Editions
Snapshot
Isabella Cotier’s illustration, Hotel Cafe
From her series: Cafe Culture
Artist: Isabella Cotier
Title: Hotel Cafe
Illustration (original), oil pastel and Indian ink on paper
Year: 2023
Dimensions: 7.6 x 11.4 cm (3 x 4.5 in)
from the LARS “Art in the Apartment” catalog / essay series
Cotier’s Magical Musings
Recall the scene in the Disney/Pixar movie, Ratatouille, where the famously stern and rigid food critic, Anton Ego, makes his much-anticipated return to Gusteau's restaurant. The entire kitchen team, as well as we, the eager audience, wait with bated breath as he takes his first bite of the presented dish: humble ratatouille. At tongue touch-down, Ego’s eyes widen, and he is instantaneously transported through a nostalgia vortex to his childhood dinner table. He blinks and is surrounded by the overwhelming sensations of comfort, love, and what it means to feel at home.
As far as the movie narrative went, this was immensely gratifying as it meant Linguini and Remy had succeeded in accomplishing their sous-chef-rodent dreams. And, beyond the storyline, that display of sentimental transportation expressed an authentic depiction of what a striking sense can excite in you. In artist Isabella Cotier’s 3 x 4.5-inch oil pastel illustration, Hotel Cafe, we are offered a similar opportunity. We are transported to a timeless escape where we can indulge in individual, precious affections.
Cotier has created a visual representation of a musing that is easy to connect with — nostalgically and hopefully. Her subjects are less of a muse in the modern, sultry-skewed association of the term, but instead are muses that are dreamy abstractions, sources of inspiration, and opportunities for us to marvel and contemplate.
Hotel Cafe, part of a series titled Cafe Culture, celebrates the artist’s longtime and tender fascination with European cafes and the curious characters they attract. The collection highlights the eccentricities of city folk. The rapid, back-and-forth fluid strokes that oil pastels can provide indicates a fondness for her observances — a desire to include every detail witnessed, even as the contents almost burst off the tiny page.
Cotier’s muses are adorned in the most intriguing of accessories – from large mustaches, vibrant turbans, and fancy patterned gloves – to mysteriously wild pets: spunky birds, twin pelicans, and a river rat poised as a lap dog. Although names are not assigned to the individuals in these portraits, you imagine they must be called something fabulous like Myrtle, Vincenzo, Boris, or Florence. Here, we are immediately confronted with a most gripping and emotive vermillion at the top of the composition. We move in closer, as if peering into a vintage travel sketchbook, wondering the who, what, and where of the depicted scene.
In this image, we note the four drinks on the table, yet we understand this as a two-person setup. Any good frequenter of the laissez-faire lifestyle understands the importance of multiple beverages. We have an espresso for continued energy beyond the pre-evening stop, something non-alcoholic and refreshing for hydration, and of course, a timeless martini — like the Vesper — as the main attraction. This drink-laden arrangement quickly demonstrates to us the beauty of leisure, where one can enjoy both quality and quantity of time.
The check is tented on the table, dropped off for accessibility, not as a signal for a departure deadline (imagine!). This is a pausing, pleasure-based opportunity so abundant in the realms of aperitivo, happy hours, catch-ups, and first dates. Vacationers pulled over to map out tomorrow’s activity plans. A bejeweled and worldly grandmother with her toting young grandchild, taking a break from uphill city walking. Man-friends who, after hours of exchanging stories, will “fight” over paying the bill. Demure lovers-to-be, shyly mirroring each other's drink order. Although only devised within our wandering minds, the accompanying characters and accouterments from this scene appear to us like a familiar slideshow.
Although there aren’t any convincing clues of where in the world we are (cc: Carmen Sandiego), Hotel Cafe feels like a known backdrop to a widely understood sentiment. We can recount previous examples from our own history, or via alluring stories found in literature and the arts. In settings such as this, our sojourn is special — demonstrating exploration, a holiday, a change of scenery. Where we are less accessible to those who may need something from us, and concurrently, we are being looked after. In moments of travel and leisure, we are encouraged to live out the dreams and personas we’ve always wanted to try on, albeit knowing we might need to pack them up at the end of the visit.
Via this small-but-mighty illustration, we are transported as though we have dove headfirst into a postcard. Is this abstraction from our former selves, full of memory, or is it a premonition from our future selves, showing us the possibilities when we arrive? Either way, an aching question is: how do we get there? How do we reobtain those feelings that only a true muse brings forth in us?
A bona fide muse is more complex than our modern understanding. Less about the subject itself, a muse reminds you of your best you — during the most free, wild, fun, spontaneous spells. It is within those versions of ourselves where we take the biggest risks, are the most open and vulnerable, and can create unapologetically. There, we are turned on, tuned in, silly, romantic, dazzled — all while being subconsciously attuned to how fleeting the opportunity of liberating inspiration is. A state of exhilaration that is an exception to our everyday existence.
While appreciating this snapshot-sized Cotier illustration, I am fondly reminded of my own past explorations and curiosity-driven pursuits, along with the meaningful experiences they provided. I am prompted by future possibilities that are at the ready in countless cafes around the world. Her expression of wish you were here imagery knocks on the door of a sentimental room in one’s consciousness.
What a satisfying dispatch from this previous/approaching moment. Cheers to all the versions of ourselves that emanate. I hope they pull up a chair, order at least three beverages, and stay awhile. The muse’s tunnel of transportation can take many models – it can be bite-sized, the faintest of whiffs, a passing glance, or as small as a sip. You are encouraged to follow it as soon as it strikes.
pairs well with:
The Vesper from Duke’s Bar in London (via Alessandro Palazzi)
The Green Mango Martini from Superbueno in New York City (via Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez)
The Hinoki Martini from Katana Kitten in New York City (via Masahiro Urushido)
