Julie Guillem’s Illustrations Reframe the Paris Postcard

French illustrator Julie Guillem, who lives and works in Paris, created this series around the city she knows by heart.

Paris has been illustrated to exhaustion, and Julie sidesteps the cliché by choosing where to stand. The Louvre appears sliced behind the glass pyramid. The Eiffel Tower is seen from a residential street, almost incidental, framed by a balustrade and a wedge of hedge. Montmartre sits far off, glimpsed past the willows of the Buttes-Chaumont rather than from its own steps. Each composition treats a landmark as something half-caught, cropped, partly hidden or seen on the way to somewhere else.

Her style is defined by flat color, fine grain and controlled palettes, giving every scene a printed, poster-like feel. Ornate façades and glass ceilings are reduced to clean shapes without losing their character, while trees, reflections, sailboats, birds and architectural details add movement and charm. The series is a beautiful love letter to Paris that feels elegant, fresh and full of light.

For more of Julie Guillem’s work, visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

More illustrations via Behance