Duo of eternity

This photograph plunges us into the heart of the Valais, in the region of Zermatt. The Breithorn, one of the most famous mountains in the Alps, stands proudly on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Thanks to the nearby lifts on the Klein Matterhorn, it is the easiest 4000-meter-high Alpine summit to climb. In the background, the two Liskamm peaks seem to touch the sky. In the background, the high summits of the Mont-Rose massif add depth to the picture.

I created this enchanting work at sunrise. The mountain awakens decked out in white after the increasingly rare passage of a summer snowstorm. The clouds are torn apart to show it off to best advantage. I wanted to immortalize the purity of the Breithorn mountain, which is trodden daily by so many footsteps. Immaculate and wild, it appears here in all its power.

I love this work for the sensations it evokes. Its silver-grey tone, quite different from the black and white usually found in my photographs, highlights the brilliance of the still-fresh snow. The succession of ridges forming summits adds depth to this grandiose panorama, which seems to lead us towards infinity. The high mountains appear mysterious, beyond the world. It breathes through the work. The painting seems alive, the embodiment of a majestic, inaccessible nature that seems almost unreal. Yet the many details of the Breithorn ice cap bring it to life.

I was lucky enough to be able to make the Breithorn crossing with my friend and mountain guide, Vivian Bruchez. Since this photo was taken in 2020, this legendary mountain has changed enormously. A gigantic crevasse has opened up in the heart of the glacier. Rocks are now appearing along the ascent route to summit. As a result of climate change, the high mountains we grew up with are gradually disappearing. When we admire Breithorn from Zermatt, we keep telling ourselves that its ice cap is eternal, that it cannot disappear. Unfortunately, the reality is quite different. That's why I put all my energy into capturing the splendour of the Alps in my art. To pass on a legacy to future generations, to offer them the chance to discover the high mountains as we knew them. Through my photographs, I write the memories of a nature that has no other way of expressing itself than to reveal its fragile beauty.