Among the comic strips and communication materials created by Gérard Berthelot, many of them illustrate sport, from cycling to sailing via Raymond Kopa, SCO or tennis, through rich and varied graphic styles: sketched , black ink, watercolor, pastel… Interview with this graphic designer and illustrator from Angers.
A graphic designer by training, you turned to comics in 2010. Where did this passion come from and why this turning point in your career? ?
In reality, this is not a turning point at all. I had already produced several comics works: in 1986 for Editions Glénat and in 1987, a series for Editions du Lombard with my screenwriter Luc Révillon – a series which was to consist of three volumes and which was never published by editorial choice. After the disappointment due to this failure, I decided to put aside the comic strip until Luc came back to get me to do a test in order to put “The Seznec Affair” into images. This was the starting point of all kinds of work for different publishing houses, thus becoming my main occupation.
Why this orientation of your work towards the theme of sport ? Do we draw sport differently ?
I have always been passionate about sports and at a time when I was looking for new ideas to develop my company, I thought of recounting some events that marked our region. I have thus produced several albums combining comic strips and sporting exploits. Other jobs came along and allowed me to work in several areas such as sailing, rugby, football, cycling, tennis, golf, etc. I also kept a daily column (Gégé News) which gave pride of place to sports news by denouncing abuses of all kinds (doping, money, shenanigans, etc.).
I think we represent sport in drawing like any other subject. The important thing is to make the reader understand the continuity of the actions and to convey the fluidity of the movements. It’s up to the audience to imagine what happens between two boxes. The designer is only there to show a precise moment of the action and thus be the trigger which will bring back to life the emotions of the competitions.
Do you have a memory/anecdote to share with library readers? ?
Throughout my modest career, what I have appreciated most are human encounters. First, the people with whom I worked (writers, communications managers, athletes, editors, etc.) and above all, the readers with whom I was able to exchange and share. It was always a real pleasure and I will particularly remember my exchanges with the family of Raymond Kopa during the creation of the biography of this fantastic footballer.
Exposition Bubble sportsOpens a new windowToussaint media library, from June 28 to August 31, 2024 from Tuesday to Saturday during opening hours
