GABRIELLE VINCENT

GABRIELLE VINCENT ERNEST AND CELESTINE Ernest and Célestine go picnicking, Éditions Duculot 1982 Rainy picnic, happy picnic, original illustration. Watercolor and graphite on paper 21.6 × 15.1 cm (8.5 × 5.94 in.) The day of the picnic has arrived, a day of heavy rain in Brussels, but nothing can stop Célestine's determination and Ernest's will to please her; the picnic had been decided, no matter what the weather brings, we finally get ready for a picnic in the rain, and we laugh. And we hasten to recreate the bazaar they're so good at at home, but this time under canvas in the forest. The trees are allies in this adventure, one branch transformed into an umbrella stand, the others into tent supports. This picnic sounds far-fetched, like a child's dream; but it was real life for Monique Martin, who embarked her nephews on her most improbable plans, like jumping on a streetcar near the Place du Châtelain in Brussels and setting off for a picnic on a pouring rainy day on the plains of Waterloo.