CUZOR Lot n° 46

STEVE CUZOR HENRY FLEMING'S BATTLE Dupuis 2024 Original illustration for the dust jacket of the deluxe edition. Signed. India ink and white gouache on paper 65 × 34.9 cm (25.59 × 13.74 in.) "At least you don't have to answer to anyone anymore". When he comes across this young officer dead with saber in hand, Henry almost envies him. He seems to be resting, his face in the light. The bloody hole from the bullet that killed him adorns his heart, like a decoration. The Red Badge of Courage, the badge of the brave. This soldier is somebody; Henry is nobody. And off he goes, head down. This is an example of a large image in which placement is important, since it was designed for a dust jacket. The trunk in the foreground marks the edge of the album, Henry is on the cover, and the dead young soldier is on the fourth, back cover. But once I've done that, it's straight to the paintbrush to create this large carpet of foliage and shaded branches. It's the tool that gives the whole the organic character of the forest, which I wanted to be omnipresent. S.C.