Catalogue raisonné des oeuvres de Jean-Paul Riolelle, Yseult Riopelle Tanguy Riopelle, Hibou Editeurs, tome 5, page 395

Starting in the summer of 1974, Jean-Paul Riopelle moved his studio to Lac Masson in the Laurentians after more than 25 years outside Canada. This new residence was a place of great productivity for the artist. An impressive amount of oil and paper works are created there. The many excursions in the Far North with Champlain Charest have also given the painter a great source of inspiration.

During the 1970’s, Riopelle presented the works of the string series in 1972, then Rois de Thulé in 1973. A myriad of pastel works was created in 1975, entitled Vallée de la roche blanche. This series and several other untitled works are characterized by the predominance of blood that gives them a warmth that contrasts with the Iceberg suite that will be born in 1977.