Artists & Perfumers: 106 posts

From luminous dryness of Frédéric Malle Noir Epices to elegant sensuality of Parfums DelRae Amoureuse, creations of Michel Roudnitska are marked by sensitivity to form and originality of expression. Their sources of inspiration are diverse, based on their creator’s extensive travels and observations unfettered by traditional views. His ability to break through the crust of conventional is no doubt fostered by his other life-long passions in photography, sculpture, drawing, and video montage. …

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Edmond Roudnitska, the creator of fragrances like Christian Dior Diorissimo, Eau Sauvage, Eau d’ Hermès and Frédéric Malle Le Parfum de Thérèse speaks on what inspires him to create a perfume.

It’s very variable. It’s never actually done twice in the same manner. It depends on the idea one has. I work with ideas, an idea for a perfume. A thought comes to my mind. I foresee, I visualize a certain form for a perfume. I try to construct it. I try it with the raw materials I lay out for myself. I try first to outline or sketch out the form with products that are most familiar to me, and then I try to modify it, and, step by step, this study goes along, because a study of this nature can last several years, and as it does, I might have my hand on some new raw material, and I say to myself, ‘Well, now, this might be just the thing I need to complete the form.’ And that’s how the experiment progresses.

And when are you satisfied?

Never.

Quote from “Perfume” by William Kaufman. Photo from art-et-parfum. Image by Michel Roudnitska.

Christine Nagel is a perfumer, whose creations include Armani Privé Ambre Soie, Thierry Mugler B*Men (with Jacques Huclier), Mauboussin Histoire d’Eau Topaz, Cartier Eau de Cartier, Narciso Rodriguez for Her (with Francis Kurkdjian), Fendi Theorema, and Guerlain With Love. When presented during an interview with a question of “which fragrances convey a real emotion to you,” she responds:

“[Chanel] Bois des îles, because this fragrance has an incredible magic to it. [Shiseido] Féminité du Bois, which I find magnificent. I also adore Opium because of its perfect coherence with the brand. And [Clinique] Aromatics Elixir because of its seductive sensuality. These fragrances fascinate me, they make me shiver.” Read the rest of the interview on Scented Pages (edit: link no longer working).

If asked the same question, what would you answer?

Mandy Aftel’s passion for perfumery is contagious. When she speaks about her creations, one realizes that this is an individual whose love for perfume is as immense as her knowledge of essences and perfume history. Ms. Aftel’s work as a natural perfumer has been trendsetting, aided by her book “Essence and Alchemy” (North Point Press, 2001), which was a labor of love, distilled from her research and her experience as a perfumer. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this book became a corner stone upon which the contemporary natural perfumery movement was built. …

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Pierre Bourdon is the creator of fragrances like Iris Poudré, Yves Saint Laurent Kouros (1981), and Shiseido Féminité Du Bois (1992, with Christopher Sheldrake), and Dolce Vita (1996 , with Maurice Roger). When asked to link his creative sensibility to a pictoral style, he responds, “The period between impressionism and fauvism – a creative period which balances on figurative interpretation and transcendental reality. Having said that, I am equally fond of Vermeer’s paintings, in which the reproduction of light is almost supernatural.” Read the rest of the interview on Scented Pages (edit: link no longer working).

If you were to name your favorite art work, what fragrance would be associated with it?

Jan Vermeer. Woman with a Pearl Necklace. c.1664. Oil on canvas. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin. From abcgallery.com.