the famous french writer EMILE ZOLA wrote a twenty-volume series – LES ROUGON-MACQUART, L’ASSOMMOIR was the seventh novel published 1877. with merciless detail ZOLA creates an overwhelming dark painting and an uncompromising study of alcoholism and poverty in the working-class districts of paris in the late 1900s. the title refers to a shop selling cheap liquor distilled on the premises. there is no english translation for this title, that’s why several related titles like THE GIN PALACE, THE DRUNKARD or even in german DER TOTSCHLAEGER ( the killer ) were published. the following masterfull illustrations are from WILHELM M.BUSCH, published 1975 in the BERTELSMANN edition, ballpoint pen on paper.
© wilhelm m.busch / bertelsmann reinhard mohn verlag
my name is hans bacher, – I work as production designer in the animation film industry. for the last 45 years I lived and worked in exciting places around the world. after 7 years of teaching in singapore I am back at my homebase in manila, working on a few more books.
One1more2time3's Weblog 
Really fabulous Hans. I’m so knocked out by how good his figure drawing is that I occasionally overlook the mood, atmosphere and compositions in these amazing illustrations. His environments are so believable and the execution is so loose and confident that it looks as though he just scribbled these drawings down with no planning or preparation at all. As usual after having looked at the work of Wilhelm Busch I’m both stunned and inspired.
Thanks again for the art you post on this blog. There’s no where else to find it.
larry
Gorgeous.
Any idea how he got those nice velvety flat grays? Alcohol wash?
from hans –
just some watered ink