ROCHETTE - Lot 61

ROCHETTE JEAN-MARC ROCHETTE LE LOUP, Casterman 2019 Original plate no. 98 accompanied by preparatory stage in India ink and wash. Signed. India ink and graphite on paper 29.5 × 41.6 cm (11.61 × 16.38 in.) Preparatory stage: 29.6 × 41.5 cm The album's final panel and ultimate revelation. As we greet the departing wolf, we understand that the shepherd, whose hand has frozen and who has the features of Jean-Marc Rochette - an autobiographical wink - will never be able to use a gun again. A magnificent last panel, in which Rochette majestically shows off one of the most imposing peaks he lives next to, Les Bans. A major plate. This is the stuff of legend and mythology: a hunter who can no longer hunt, and what's more, saved by a wolf! Physically, the old bearded man is me, but fortunately I still have all my fingers. I noticed in the sketch that I hadn't found the conclusion to the story - the shepherd hadn't lost his fingers. I really like the last image, the man and the wolf, two points, two identical spots against the mountain. J.-M.R.