Juillard - Lot 79

Juillard ANDRÉ JUILLARD LE CAHIER BLEU, Casterman 1994 Original preparatory plate for strips no. 2 and no. 3 from plate no. 4. Strip no. 3 differs slightly from the original. India ink and graphite on paper 36.4 × 28.2 cm (14.33 × 11.1 in.) To write Cahier bleu, his first solo album, André Juillard leaves the small room he uses as a studio in his apartment on rue Dunois, in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, for a few weeks. After unsuccessfully trying to get the first lines down in a nearby café, he took refuge in the library on rue de Tolbiac. It was there, surrounded by books, and in a cathedral-like silence, that his contemporary marivaudage took shape. A singular period during which the author confesses to having concentrated solely on the script... Without drawing! Drawing would only begin once this precision mechanism had been properly oiled. André then designed an initial version of the first six plates. However, the artist soon gets stuck on the chosen paper. In the end, he opted for an older, smaller-format paper. Using his light table, he reframes and redraws his first sequences, including the second and third strips of the fourth plate. After politely but firmly dismissing Armand Laborie as a cad, observing in passing that these Frenchmen really don't doubt anything, Louise, noticing that he's late for an appointment, lets out a very Québécois "câlisse". The young woman then rushes out into the street. Fans will enjoy comparing this preparatory original with the published version. Louise changes her top garment and abandons her fine necklace. In the second vignette, her expression is less angry.