GABRIELLE VINCENT

GABRIELLE VINCENT ERNEST AND CELESTINE Noël chez Ernest et Célestine, Éditions Duculot 1983 La Grande Fête, original illustration. Watercolor on paper 49.5 × 20.1 cm (19.49 × 7.91 in.) Christmas at Ernest and Célestine's is always convivial and inclusive; it's family in the broadest sense, the closest circle like cousins and friends; no compartmentalization, no exclusion, only inclusion. It's a far cry from the traditional small family unit. Everything is warm, from the orange of the costumes to the glow of the candles. And it's all music too, with Ernest conducting the orchestra, accompanied here and there by little drums. Add dancing to the mix, and it's more like Carnival than Christmas. When it comes to interior design and architecture, the two friends are eternally at home with the joyful bazaar. Waffles, mugs, shoes, musical instruments, socks, all litter the floor, taking part in the overall choreography; a chair leaning forward, resting on the table but looking as if it might fall at any moment, a recurring motif for Gabrielle Vincent; the objects have a soul, or at least a life, and move in the same rhythm as the characters.