GABRIELLE VINCENT Lot n° 43

GABRIELLE VINCENT ERNEST AND CELESTINE Ernest est malade, Éditions Duculot 1987 Aux fourneaux, original illustration. Watercolor on paper 24.1 × 18.5 cm (9.49 × 7.28 in.) Everything still seems under control; unlike usual, the floor is not strewn with unusual objects; the chair and stool are on their four legs, and the dishes are neatly arranged on a tray. The eye is drawn to the white of the door in the background, like an opening to the next part of the story and an expectation of what's to come. Just as chairs are rarely upright, doors are usually open in Ernest & Célestine: open to inclusion, exchange and improvisation. Here, if the door is closed, it's to protect Ernest, who's lying sick in bed.