ANDRÉ JUILLARD

ANDRÉ JUILLARD Le Cahier bleu, Casterman 1994 Original plate no. 27, prepublished in (À Suivre) no. 192, January 1994. Signed. India ink and watercolor on paper 29.8 × 40 cm (11.73 × 15.75 in.) Le Cahier bleu is one of a handful of comic-book masterpieces that left an indelible mark on the last decade of the 20th century. André Juillard, who until now had excelled in historical costume stories by Patrick Cothias or Jacques Martin, taking classic comics to new heights, now delivers a contemporary story for which he himself wrote the script: a narrative framework that would not have been disowned by the most sophisticated writers of the Nouveau Roman. Added to this is his magnificent drawing, a kind of synthesis between Ingres and Hergé, whose luminous, soft colors lend singular strength to a narrative that plays with planes and perspectives with unequalled perfection. The Angoulême jury made no mistake when it awarded him the Alph'Art for best album in 1994. We're not always lucky enough to be able to produce a plate without text. While scouting, I spotted this building from line 6 of the Paris metro. At a time when digicodes were still rare, it was easy to get in and take photos. But I adapt the topography and colors of a location to suit the scenario. André Juillard