Christophe CHABOUTÉ Moby Dick White Ghost Mixed media on paper for an illustration of the the boats of the Péquod in pursuit of Moby Dick. Signed, produced in 2016. "Ripplingly with drawing from his prey, Moby Dick now lay at a little distance, vertically thrusting his oblong white head up and down in the billows; and at the same time slowly revolving his whole spindled body" (Moby Dick; or, The Whale, chap. 133). 80 × 80 cm. When it was published in autumn 1851, Moby Dick was both a critical and commercial failure. Very few readers appreciated the beauty of the odyssey of the Pequod ("There she blows! -there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!) It was not until many years after the writer's death that this novel, which is much more than an intense and tragic tale of whaling in the South Seas, was recognised as one of the masterpieces of American literature. Christophe Chabouté's graphic design captures the dark, feverish side of Moby Dick: a cloud-covered sky with a beautiful palette of greys; the formidable power of the waves, which look as if they were carved out of rock; the disturbing silhouette of Captain Ahab and the fragile, anonymous figures of the sailors and harpooners; white birds circling above the water, watching the men's fierce battle against this elusive white shadow. Christophe CHABOUTÉ When it was published in autumn 1851, Moby Dick was both a critical and commercial failure. Very few readers appreciated the beauty of the odyssey of the Péquod ("There she blows! -there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!) It was not until many years after the writer's death that this novel, which is much more than an intense and tragic tale of whaling in the South Seas, was recognised as one of the masterpieces of American literature. Christophe Chabouté's graphic design captures the dark, feverish side of Moby Dick: a cloud-covered sky with a beautiful palette of greys; the formidable power of the waves, which look as if they have been carved out of rock; the disturbing silhouette of Captain Ahab and the fragile, anonymous figures of the sailors and harpooners; white birds circling above the water, watching the men's fierce battle against this elusive white shadow.