Venise Céleste – Mise en couleurs et calque

Original hand-painted colors applied directly on the blue-line underdrawing (gouache, watercolor, pastel), completed with the original acetate overlay bearing hand-inked contour lines and Moebius’ signature. Together, these layers form the final illustration reproduced on page 76 of Venise Céleste (1984).

This illustration was selected as the central image for the cover of the first German hardcover edition Paris–Venedig (Carlsen Studio, 1993), highlighting its significance within Moebius’ production from the 1970s and 1980s.

The piece was also reproduced as postcard no. 11 (Reportages) in the 14-card Venezia Celeste series, selected from the 175 illustrations included in the book, confirming its prominence within the cycle.

The work represents a rare surviving example of a complete mise en couleurs with original ink overlay from the Venise Céleste cycle, documenting the artist’s creative process from initial underdrawing to final published image.

Signed in black ink on acetate overlay; no signature on blue-line underdrawing