The wistful watercolours of Jean Aubertin put time on hold

Throughout the works of Jean Aubertin, you’ll never encounter groundbreaking events or moments of magnitude. Instead, you’ll be taken on a journey through mundane, domestic scenes and subjects; a half empty fridge, a wasp atop a sticky fizzy drink can, a nearly finished packet of chewing gum, discarded on a desk. “I like the idea that my drawings can be a very humble testimony of the everyday – but made with classic techniques – as a way to put time on hold,” says Jean.

Jean’s techniques and materials are very carefully selected. In the main he uses Winsor & Newton watercolours, but for “intense and flashy” tones he uses those by Sennelier, and as for paper he uses Arche, for its ability to render vivid and pure colours. Most of Jean’s works begin as a writings or drawings in his sketchbook, but the time within which they come into fruition varies greatly, from a few days, to months or even years. In 2023, Jean drew and co-wrote his first comic book, Motorossa, alongside the filmmaker Adèle Albrespy. Inspired by Shōnen manga and Franco-Belgian comics, it follows a young woman who leaves home and falls in love with motorcycling.