Every childhood is marked by a symbol, a memory or a dream. The biggest imprint on my memory was left by a portrait of Chopin, a small reproduction of a drawing by Ingres which my father put up above his desk, and discovery of a huge anatomy atlas in a closet. This was followed by Greek mythology and novels by Jules Verne. And then there were two small sculptures on a dark desk. One of them, made of brass, featured Faust, while the marble one was a bust of Venus. This was enough to furnish my emerging imaginations for the years to come.

The image of the drawing by Ingres, whom I believe to be the most prominent graphic artist in the history of art, has always been with me. I think that my fascination with his drawings, recorded somewhere deep in my memory, allowed me to undertake the huge journey round the Dune universe in 2006 and to engage in dialogue with Herbert’s work. A similar dialogue was mastered by Gustave Doré, who created illustrations for the Bible, and by William Blake in his drawings to Paradise Lost by John Milton, a 17th century English poet. We are dealing with prominent works of literature and art here.

I chose drawing because it seems to me as the most profound and convenient artistic form for dialogue with Herbert. “What I did not draw, I did not see,” Goethe said. Ingres claimed that “drawing is the essence of art.” Those two quotes are enough to understand the winding paths that I followed to draw the naturally teeming thoughts.

Dune is definitely a masterpiece of world literature. It is one of those gigantic columns that support the vault of the Pantheon containing the most valuable legacy of world culture. Herbert’s work refuses to be pigeon-holed and does not need any label to define its style. Working on the drawings for that series was a tremendous pleasure. I remember my daughter being fascinated with Dune at the age of fourteen. Perhaps her children will follow in their mother’s footsteps and will want to read the book. It is important that no reader, whether young or grown up, is burdened by illustrations and graphic interpretations that carry little value. Visual literality and awkward prompts that block the imagination should be avoided.

The tone set by Herbert for the plot and the characters of Dune brings to mind a fuzzy photograph. This allows the readers to “appropriate” his world rather than inhibiting their own reflections or limiting their imagination, which is why his masterpiece so skilfully escapes the grip of the passing time. I want the world drawn by me to be a certain gift for fantasy literature enthusiasts. The time of childhood and youth needs imagination because it is facing a broad horizon and a far-reaching look at the future.

Inspiration is a common thing and it is necessary for talent and intelligence to thrive. After all, there are similarities between Dune and Cordwainer Smith’s The Rediscovery of Man.