Friday, August 31, 2018

Hugo Pratt, musee des confluences, Lyon

My reason for going to Lyon last Saturday was to see an exhibit of graphic novel artist, HUGO PRATT, HORIZON LINES at MUSEE DES CONFLUENCE. I caught a bus across from the Halles Paul Bocuse. The driver and his pal explained I would have to change to another bus. I was escorted to the other bus, which took me to the end of a peninsula surrounded by many modern structures but no museum in sight. I had to enter a tunnel, cross some highways. Et voila!
An amazing structure said to look like a floating crystal cloud of stainless steel and glass designed by an Austrian group, Coop Himmelbleau.
Inside an equally astonishing experience to wander through

The perfect setting for the other worldly drawings of Hugo Pratt.
The display was a dramatic mixup of ethnographic objects and his blown-up cartoons.
You're immediately drawn in.
For once wall notes were in English, French and Italian. Pratt was born in Venice, spent early years in Africa and lived in London, Argentina, Brazil, Paris, Lausanne. And in general traveled the world searching for settings for his main character, adventurer/sailr/hero, CORTO MALTESE, who somewhat resembles Burt Lancaster...as well as Hugo Pratt himself.
I was attracted to Pratt's delicate washy watercolors a few years back.
Plus he does good seagulls...

Wonderfully loose sketch sheets
What's not to love?

Painting in his Swiss studio. He died in '95 just 62 years old, but he expanded the graphic novel to new heights from 1967 with his eye for cinematography and his adventurous storylines influenced by Kipling, Stevenson, Melville.
I was so tempted to buy a big empty paintbox like Pratt's at Boesner this week.
Love his loose personal sketch sheets..
Which contrast with his strong black and white graphics
Drawing ✍️ with India ink are as enticing. The exhibition is appropriately called "Horizon Lines"
After 2 hours of immersion and inspiration, I hopped on a tram in front. Then a short metro trip to the center of Lyon, before returning home. Somehow I missed the Musee de Cinema et Miniatures. Plus the famous silk museum. I’ll return soon. The Hugo Pratt exhibit is on through October, 2018.
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14 comments:

  1. I say get the big box. Go all out!
    Why not?

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    1. Everyone else has these little 12 pan boxes here.
      I'm already ashamed...
      Hmmmm...maybe I will 😄👍🏻

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  2. You know me..BUY IT.

    Never heard of him..thanks so much for enlightening me.
    I learn a lot from you Carol.

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    1. You see paintboxes and buy them M.
      A bad influence. I would li,e to have less not more, but probavly not in the cards for me :))

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  3. I did not realize how lovely the light sketches would be... did they have a catalog?? It just all blends from travelog to graphic novel! Thanks!!

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    1. Yes I bought thecatalog and another accordian book they had. The books are not in english. Not much is on H Pratt unfortunately because of the dearth of eng translations.
      Lots of info in French on youtube!

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  4. sukicart@aol.com2:28 PM

    I never heard of him, so thank you - very interesting. Looking at you pictures, I was imagining what the Carol Gillott Museum or exhibit might look like one day in the future. The miniature museum is calling my name - irresistable.

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    1. Hahahaha Love you Suki :))
      The Carol Gillott Museum !?
      I only discovered Pratt by chance in a bande dessiner shop in Paris...there are many.
      Hard back graphic novels have been popular in France for ages. They really started with Belgian artists like Hergé's Tin Tin and Tardi's Adelle Blanc-Sec among many others.
      American comics certainly influenced them. Milton Caniff influenced Hugo Pratt. They are for adults but do not contain 'adult' content as we knowit...more really good stories. Believe it or not I went to a big salon ages ago held in Gare d'Orsay before ot became MUSEE D' ORSAY. A French boyfriend introdiced me to Adelle Blanc-Sec which has fabulous drawings of Paris. Its also a great way to learn colloquial French.

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  5. Another great trip to Lyon, love the building with tram out the front and the exhibition is great. I hadn’t heard of Hugo Pratt but I like his art, I agree it’s almost like a travel book with all the different pictures. And of course the seagulls! A la prochaine pour les autres musées :)

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    1. Yes Pratt was the great adventurer artist. He was mad for American indians as well as more exotic places. He spent his life drawing and communing with tribal cultures as much as possible.

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  6. Lynn C3:52 AM

    Fabulous,!

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  7. Sharon T4:43 AM

    Merci for the Hugo Pratt profile! I see why you are attracted to his art/style/palette! Post John McCain Funeral, I marveled at the “sailor” drawing by Pratt-so John McCain!

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