Juillard - Lot 84

Juillard ANDRÉ JUILLARD BLAKE AND MORTIMER The Voronov Machination (T.14), Blake and Mortimer Cover design, published in Entracte by Editions Daniel Maghen in 2006. Signed. India ink on paper 31.97 × 40 cm (12.567 × 15.75 in.) For La Machination Voronov, his very first Blake & Mortimer album scripted by Yves Sente, André Juillard suggested various cover designs. In the present illustration, Philip Mortimer sports a well-tailored suit. A smart bow tie enhances his immaculate shirt. An impeccable outfit, to be sure, but hardly cut out for adventure. His partner Francis Blake stands beside him, dressed in a Soviet army officer's uniform. While we can't imagine for a moment that he would betray his beloved Britain, we're nonetheless sceptical. What's the duo doing in the USSR? Because this is Moscow, as evidenced by the fortifications of the Kremlin glimpsed through a picture window, and by the unobtrusive KGB agent. Another question: what's the point of these matryoshkas in the foreground? One of them, more contrasted and placed almost in the center of the picture, catches the eye. Could it be hiding a secret? This quasi-cinematographic staging, featuring a sort of subjective camera zooming in on the dolls' exterior ramparts, is reminiscent of some of Alfred Hitchcock's clever compositions. Great art.