203 - Moebius

Moebius MOEBIUS Moebius' Little Pantheon Arzack, Moebius Prod. 2003 The Gardens of St. Quentin, original illustration created in 1995. Signed. Gouache and acrylic on paper. 25.2 × 35 cm (9.92 × 13.78 in.) This illustration belongs to the “Starwatcher” period of the creator of Arzach. The “Starwatcher” series is one of the most iconic collections created by Moebius in the mid-1980s. It consists of a series of drawings in a wide variety of formats and styles. Here, we see an enigmatic character, recognizable by his winged helmet, moving through a universe where nature and minerals seem animated by the same energy. The floating blue crystal—a recurring motif from this period, but here resembling a city rising from the ether—symbolizes a spiritual and cosmic force. The character also appears to be floating in the air. His profile, solemn and dignified like that of a figure in an Egyptian fresco, perfectly illustrates the contemplative and metaphysical dimension of Moebius’s work from this period onward. “Starwatcher” is the name given to the American edition of the art book *La Mémoire du futur* (1983) as well as to the Starwatcher Graphics label, the company founded by the artist in California with Claudine Giraud to distribute his portfolios, silkscreen prints, and art books. This image thus reflects the period when Moebius established himself as an international artist, whose influence extended far beyond the realm of comics alone. Didier Pasamonik