ROCHETTE

JEAN-MARC ROCHETTE AILEFROIDE, ALTITUDE 3954, Casterman 2018 Original illustration created in 2023 from the album. Signed. India ink and wash on paper 77 × 56 cm (30.31 × 22.05 in.) Ailefroide occupies a special place in Jean-Marc Rochette's Pantheon. A mythical wall in the Écrins massif, complex to climb, it was the ultimate goal, the Holy Grail of the tandem he formed with his friend Sempé. But fate decided otherwise. For the deluxe version of the album bearing the mountain's name, the artist had already depicted this famous north face, but not in such an impressive way. A thousand meters of vertical face, some very difficult passages, often unstable rock: even today, it's no laughing matter to climb it! I wanted to emphasize its imposing, menacing aspect, with the two little characters looking at it as a challenge, as if they were facing Mordor! To achieve this, I played a lot with the different shots, depth, light and contrasts. Black and white brings a distance that shatters reality and preserves the mystery. It's almost like an etching. J.-M.R.