At 24-pages long, Nicole Goux’s Rituals is a colorful and vibrant mini art book that does its fair share of silent storytelling through glimpses into several different getting ready rituals.
Rituals
Nicole Goux (Artist)
Silver Sprocket
February 8, 2023
I’ve always been a big fan of art books, whether they collected concept art and behind the scenes pieces from film and TV or specific pieces from an artist. And Nicole Goux’s newest mini art book, Rituals, really delivered most everything I enjoy seeing in an art book — really distinct pieces, bright color palettes, and interesting designs that tell a story in their own way.
Goux, an Eisner Award nominated illustrator and cartoonist known for her work on Shadow of the Batgirl, Fuck Off Squad, and Forest Hills Bootleg Society, delivers a really intimate look into rituals that we’re all familiar with — those of getting ready to go out. And while that’s an everyday thing that we all do, Rituals manages to capture little snapshots of what getting ready looks like for different people who are all going out for different things, be that a date, a night out with friends, or time on their own.
And while it could be easy for an art book that centers around one concept to feel repetitive at times, the scenes Goux has illustrated never feel that way. Each piece features a different person as they’re getting ready in their own unique space, and shows what getting ready means for that person. Preparing to go out in Rituals ranges from pulling on the high heel boots on page 26 to taking up residence in the bathroom sink on page 17 to finish curling hair — each person’s sacred rituals.
Those rituals feel especially familiar in the book thanks to Goux’s distinct style which blends a soft, cartoonish look with fully lived in backgrounds that create a strong sense of self in each piece. It’s super easy to look at any page in the book and immediately get a feel for who the room belongs to, almost as if you’re looking at your own space or a friend’s. For example, on page 9 you can see that there’s a drafting table in the background and tons of drawings posted all over the walls of the apartment. There’s a stained pot on the stove and a lot of florals. It’s small details like these that work to give life to each person and space and tell a little story even with no words on the page.
Another notable element which helps create a feeling of familiarity and warmth in the book is the use of different color palettes, on each page and in the book as a whole. The color palettes in each illustration help set each person and their own rituals apart from the others while still maintaining a look of connectedness. Goux starts the book out in warm colors, like reds and oranges before moving into greens and yellows. And she ends the art book with scenes that are cooler, with purples, blues, and pinks. This progression of colors reminded me a lot of the passing of the day. The warmer tones make me think of daytime, such as getting ready in the morning to go out with friends. Whereas the cooler tones designated a shift into the evening where getting ready in your own space is all about a night out. Whether or not that shift in time was intended by Goux is certainly up for interpretation, but it’s something which seems to fit into the overall way color was used in Rituals to show each individual get-ready space as the colors change the further into the book you get.
Rituals is a fun, intimate art book that captures the quiet moments we all spend getting ready in our own little spaces. It has a cohesive look and feel throughout, with Goux’s art style and colors creating lively spaces that reflect each person’s personality and story perfectly. For art book lovers, Rituals stands to be a nice addition to your collection, especially if you are a fan of Goux or art books around a central theme.
