Personality
Man never sits down. Is this the habit of the teacher or the painter? He seems to think at the same time, to go down into himself and look, with lively eyes, with a pleasant smile at the corner of his lips.
The man talks, likes to talk, but suddenly seems to pull himself together, almost controls his voice, and says :
"Do you really think people will be interested?"
Discreet and friendly, he almost lived through the century without being noticed, so as not to disturb anyone. One of Creusot's best-known local figures, Rochette seems to have refused to become a notable. Although his paintings can be seen in dozens of flats and offices, although he played a leading cultural role in the history of the region, although he was politely greeted by the workers in the street, Rochette was not one of those wind-blowers or medal-chasers. He doesn't shy away from fame, but neither does he obstinately pursue it. Serious, far from envious or jealous, lively and sharp.
Clear-sighted but never aggressive, he gently lets his passion for painting, which has always been his life.
And if one could probe the heart as one does the earth's crust, one would find in him a burning lava like that which flows from giant crucibles and irrigates his mystical and indescribable universe.
Anyone who has ever seen a Rochette painting cannot resist getting to know the man.
But Raymond Rochette, who claims to have little imagination, needs contact with reality in order to
paint. To express himself fully, he had to immerse himself in the atmosphere of the workshops, not just see the furnaces, but breathe in the smells of metal, coal and tar, hear the powerful rhythm of
the machines, and later communicate in a friendly way with the workers, with whom he felt very
close.
His masters were the great regional painters of the time: mainly Edmond Chaine, Jean Laronze,
Honoré Hugrel, Jules Adler and Louis Charlot. He consulted them regularly, submitted his paintings to their criticism, and was very sensitive to their comments, which he sometimes noted on the back of the paintings, as well as the day on which he made the recommended change.
At his first exhibition in Paris, at the Salon des Artistes Français, at the age of 23, his landscape
"Les Moissons" was chosen on the advice of Edmond Chaine.
Later, Honoré Hugrel and Jules Adler sponsored him when he joined "the Société des Artistes
Français".
There were many exchanges with Louis Charlot, which continued after the war and developed into a friendly relationship in which they shared each other's joys and sorrows.
But Raymond Rochette, who claims to have little imagination, needs contact with reality in order to paint. To express himself fully, he had to immerse himself in the atmosphere of the workshops, not
just see the furnaces, but breathe in the smells of metal, coal and tar, hear the powerful rhythm of
the machines, and later communicate in a friendly way with the workers, with whom he felt very close.
This vocation as a painter, born of an environment that seemed in no way destined to produce it,
perhaps explains a certain marginal aspect of Raymond Rochette's personality. Self-taught, he stayed away from schools and fashions, while striving to be, and succeeding in being, a witness to his time.
Meeting other painters broke his isolation, but Louis Charlot and Jules Adler gave him advice, not
lessons. And he very quickly freed himself from their influence. It is remarkable, moreover, that
neither these exchanges, nor his numerous readings of art magazines, nor his visits to exhibitions in Paris, nor his stays abroad... had any real impact on him or his work.
His teaching qualities but also his presence at ” the Creusotine Society of Fine Arts”, permanent
secretary from 1932 and president from 1957 to 1972, led him to frequently provide advice to many
young painters.
« ROCHETTE », LARC editions .
