GIBRAT Lot n° 3

JEAN-PIERRE GIBRAT LE VOL DU CORBEAU, Dupuis Un portrait au vol, original illustration created in 2023 Signed. Watercolor and acrylic inks on paper 76.5 × 50.3 cm (30.12 × 19.8 in.) A Parisian boulevard, a terrace. Don't ask Jean-Pierre Gibrat: "I don't know exactly where I set this scene. In Paris, the main thoroughfares and their cafés have a common denominator, which is their charm. But the uniqueness of this illustration lies in the eye of the portraitist. Look at the way the subject stands out from the background, as if captured by a Leica with a short focal length. And the framing of Jeanne - beret and elbow at the cup - shows the speed with which the snapshot was taken, with minimal concern for framing. And yet, the young woman takes the time to smile at the artist, while the customers on the terrace behind her take no notice. "Long before fast street photography and the famous 'decisive moment' celebrated by Henri Cartier-Bresson, painters had imagined the same hyper-dynamic process," comments Jean-Pierre Gibrat. "I remember a painting, I think by Gustave Caillebotte, where a dog is about to jump out of the picture. In this large illustration, a single image, with no words. But that doesn't stop Gibrat from showing us his talents as a narrator. It's Jeanne, the emblematic character of Le Vol du corbeau, who draws us into a reading of the scene from left to right. Here, Gibrat acts as a film director, with a sequence shot that draws us into the depths of the image by bouncing from glance to glance. For the originality of this illustration, beyond its plastic virtuosity, is the invisible thread that the author weaves between the different characters. And this thread, which unwinds to the rhythm of the succession of glances, becomes a melodic line. Here, Gibrat takes on the role of conductor of space and time, composing a melody full of warmth, tenderness and conviviality, much to our delight. Gaétan Nocq