Here is one of my favorite works. A panoramic black and white photograph of the three most famous mountains of bernese alps : the Mönch, theEiger and the Jungfrau. The latter, the highest, rises at 4158 meters above the region of Grindelwald, in Switzerland. In front of us, the famous Mittellegi ridge stands out between light and shadow. Leading to the summit of theEiger, it is one of the most beautiful ways to climb the alpine heights.
We are in winter, at sunrise. Under the assaults of the wind, the summits wake up, freshly covered with snow. The mountain smokes, letting escape little by little the last traces of condensation still clinging to the summits.
I made this spectacular work by helicopter because no place on earth offered this view. I studied the specifics of bernese alps for a long time on the ground, on maps and on 3D software. Until I finally found the precise spot that would allow me to transmit the most grandiose image possible of these exceptional summits . This is one of the privileges of the modern artist: to be able to use technology to best prepare the blossoming of his works. But the greatest difficulty I face is the unpredictable nature of the weather. The challenge was to fly through the storm and get to the right place when the magic would happen.
In this almost unreal painting, the mist reveals the splendor of theEiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau in a mystical and bewitching way. I looked for the balance of forces and forms. Between the snowy summits which captures the light and the walls huddled in the shadow. This balance subjugates and upsets me. The beauty of these high summits of the Alps is also sublimated by the graphics of the composition, giving the work a universal scope. Are we admiring the kingdom of the high mountains or are we sailing on the waves of a raging sea punctuated by steep rocks? In this portrait, it is all the purity and grandeur of nature that springs up before our eyes.
Finally, this magnificent panorama draws its strength from the softness of its contrasts. Over the years, I have evolved my art and the way I wanted to convey the power of the high mountains in my photographs. It is quite easy to give an impressive dimension to summits by forcing on the contrasts. On the other hand, retranscribing the power of the mountain through the softness of monochrome tones is a much more complex art. It took me about ten years to succeed in immortalizing the giants of the BerneseOberland with this sensitivity.
