GABRIELLE VINCENT

GABRIELLE VINCENT ERNEST AND CELESTINE Ernest and Celestine at the circus, Éditions Duculot 1988 Bouderie du matin, original illustration. Watercolor on paper 26.8 × 17.7 cm (10.55 × 6.97 in.) The chairs face each other, but Célestine has her back to them. This time, exceptionally, it's Ernest who takes up most of the space; and for once, too, he looks really angry; but I'm not sure he's got the weight; the sulky one looks calm and determined. The set disappears into the background, as if to leave all the space to the emotions at play, anger and sulkiness giving the foreground its full importance: two chairs and two equally present characters. Monique Martin, alias Gabrielle Vincent, is a surprising artist who, in her 50-year career, has never embraced abstract art; but she has a unique way of taking hold of subjects and things, using furniture and scenery to bring her scenographies to life and bring them to life. Chairs, staircases, crockery or food items almost never give the impression of being static or decorative; they are alive and interact in the scenario with the characters.