JIJE

JIJÉ JERRY SPRING La Fille du canyon (T.16), Dupuis 1977 Original plate n°34, prepublished in Le Journal de Spirou n° 1994 of July 1st, 1976. India ink, blue pencil and white gouache on paper 44.6 × 54 cm (17.56 × 21.26 in.) In these two late plates by Jijé (he was 63 years old at the time), one can feel the influence of Jean Giraud, whose mentor he was, for him too. He had notably assisted him at the beginning in the realization of the first boards of Blueberry. Thirty years later, the pupil has surpassed the master, and the old Gillain - it's a question of dignity - wants to show that he is still the boss, which gives these sublime pages, where the virtuosity in the management of the masses of black at the level of inking is equalled only by the inspired ardor in the execution of American settings of a convincing truth. Jijé's art is then at its peak and receives, as it should be, the Grand Prix of Angoulême that year, in 1977.