Corto Maltese by Olivier Vatine

I knew I wanted an Olivier Vatine Corto about a week after last year's edition of LCCAF, so in a sense I waited an entire year for this piece! I received it at this year's festival and it was absolutely worth the wait. I love the palette, those warm, sun-washed oranges and pale creams give the whole image a wonderful glow, as though the air itself has been steeped in light. And I am especially fond of the junk in the background—that lovely Chinese ship that gives the piece exactly the right note of distance and adventure.

What I love most though, is Corto himself, or rather the way he stands. There is something in the body language that feels utterly decided. Not restless but purposeful, he seems like he has already made up his mind and is about to be off on some mission known only to him. That, to me, is such a perfect Corto vibe. The piece has captured that elusive thing between stillness and departure, where a figure appears entirely at rest and yet already halfway gone!

P.S. I also received the gorgeous prelim sketch from Olivier, which is a lovely piece in its own right and a wonderful gift.