ROCHETTE - Lot 51

ROCHETTE JEAN-MARC ROCHETTE Traversée de la Meije, original illustration created in 2023, accompanied by its preparatory in India ink and wash. Signed. Watercolor, India ink and pastel highlights on paper 60.8 × 45.8 cm (23.94 × 18.03 in.) Preparatory stage: 44.6 × 30.4 cm At almost 4,000 meters and with its summit still covered in snow, La Meije is the most famous mountain in the Écrins massif. Untouched until August 1877, it remains difficult to access and is reserved for the most experienced mountaineers. Inspired by one of his photos, Jean-Marc Rochette has composed this striking and particularly graphic view, a world where everything seems to be teetering on the brink of collapse, like the Dent Zsigmondy, the great stone needle on the left. I did this crossing again four or five years ago, and saw once again just how steep it is. At this point, you get the impression that everything is unstable, that the mountain is going to fall at any moment. The feeling of solitude and danger is very strong here, and that's what I wanted to convey. J.-M.R.