GIBRAT Lot n° 6

JEAN-PIERRE GIBRAT MATTÉO Sixième époque (1939-1940) (T.6), Futuropolis 2022 Original cover. Signed. Watercolor and acrylic inks on paper 36 × 51 cm (14.17 × 20.08 in.) A haggard Louis, stunned by his knee injury - and enraged that he can't fight any more - overlooked by a Mattéo prey to his inner torments... And Amélie? What does this half-smile express, which once again escaped the artist's pencil? Perhaps the prospect of happiness, as she finds herself in an unspoilt country with a man dear to her heart? Yes, I must say she seems rather mutinous," admits Jean-Pierre Gibrat. Then: "For me, this illustration has several qualities. It's the cover of the last album in the series. I worked particularly hard on it. I'm thinking in particular of the composition, with the characters caught between a Lebel rifle in the foreground, pulleys and ropes. And above all, under this last cover, destinies are welded together. Louis is still unaware that Mattéo is his father. And Louis' last words to Mattéo are, "In the end, it's as if you were my father". Under the tender gaze of a visibly happy Amélie...