GIBRAT Lot n° 2

JEAN-PIERRE GIBRAT LE SURSIS, Dupuis If by chance, original illustration produced in 2023. Signed. Watercolor and acrylic on paper 69 × 49.2 cm (27.17 × 19.37 in.) ... Sur le pont des Arts, sang Georges Brassens. But here, Jean- Pierre Gibrat has chosen the Pont-neuf, "one of the most charming corners of Paris. As is often the case, the artist takes advantage of the free rein given to him by the illustration: the Parisian boy in a beret is inspired by the one that helped Cécile and her sister Jeanne reunite on the album - the barge whose bow appears is a reminder of the adventure. As for Jeanne, she appears on the right-hand side of the picture. First meeting? For Gibrat, this detail is of little importance: "In their albums, they didn't tell us everything about their lives. Further evidence of this discrepancy: the Wehrmacht officer and soldier busy painting the Seine do not feel threatened - the scene undoubtedly takes place before the break-up of the German-Soviet pact... "I don't forbid myself anything. I forbid myself nothing," concludes Jean-Pierre Gibrat. "Instead of the Pont-neuf, I could have chosen the Montmartre funicular. And if Cécile appears pensive in this illustration, it's because a drawing is held together by its style. I really like this illustration, with its low-angled light, drenching Paris under a yellow sky."