Tintin’s 11
I am obsessed with this picture.
What are we looking at? It’s a group of students enrolled at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, circa 1931. One of them is still famous today—though in the strangest way.
Top row, second from right. The big smile. It’s Zhang Chongren, the basis for the Tintin character Chang. Okay, so maybe you don’t know who Chang is, but to some people, in some parts of the world, the Tintin series is Star Wars, which makes Chang, what? Han Solo? There’s a daring rescue mission, and even a Rancor equivalent.
Anyway, the Tintin connection was just a ruse.
I really wanted to post this photo simply because I was flipping through this book about Hergé and it stopped me in my tracks. Just look at that crew! Forget art school. Clearly this is the cast of a heist movie. One of those guys is the money. One of them is the smooth talker (you totally know which one). One is good with explosives.
Am I overreacting? Are these guys not as awesome as I think?
All I know is, I couldn’t stop looking at this picture. I left the book open to this page for days.
Amazing picture! I see why you couldn’t stop looking at it. You are not overreacting. It gets the mind going… What I wonder is, if pictures taken today will ever have the same impact.
I have read the entire Tintin series, though. It’s especially cool to look at it with those stories in the back of your mind.
Wow. Daniel Craig (second row, left) has really aged well.
D’accord, you are so not overreacting. I am tempted to descend upon your house now, just so I can see this book (plus your D’Aulaire’s Norse mythology of course.) I love the body language, the faces in the difference direction, the easy leans and placement of hands, the diversity of hair cuts. This is the kind of groupiness artists dream of.
Finding the Tintin store in Paris was sheer joy. It’s one of the few times as an adult that I have completely recaptured that childhood sense of AWESOME that comes from visiting a toy store. I was so sad I couldn’t leave with my very own life-sized Snowy.
haha, the first person i starred at the pic was “daniel craig” cause i do not know all of the tintin-series. funny fluke! the pcture is great, you are right, and definitely not overreacting. the charme of old pics is unique and i am convinced that you won’t catch that kind of mood with high-tech-photography!
Character Analysis
Front and Center: He’s good with explosives.
Front/Right: He’s the smart-ass;the joker.
Middle Left: Smooth talker. He thinks he’s the leader of the pack…
Middle Right: He has it all: good at sports, popular, charming, still kinda honest…but that will change..
Top/Right: The young one. He’s eager, honest, hard-working. One day he WILL be the leader.
Ok, that’s it.
Bottom left must be the bumbling front man who lulls you into not being suspicious while his mates rob your museum. I assume he’s also the basis for Thomson and/or Thompson.
Ha! I knew he looked like someone . .
OH MON DIEU hilarieux! (Rhyme right there.)
This is amazingly epic. Someone should make a movie of this right now. And I love the guy back-right— he just looks like such an “Oh man, I can’t believe I am doing this” guy. XD
My favorite is the guy, top-center left, next to Zhang Chongren, pimp-leaning on his shoulder. Leather jacket, smirk, and tie. It almost looks like he’s trying to hide, but he’s staring right into the camera, knowing that he’s right in the center of the frame.