Un Écrin Blanc Sous les Cieux

The Jungfrau (4158 m) dominates the border between the Valais and Bernese Alps. Sitting to the north of the famous Konkordiaplatz, summit is one of Switzerland's most emblematic and prestigious peaks. In this work, I wanted to crystallize a dream-like apparition: perfectly aligned, the Jungfrau, the Rottalhorn, the Louwiborn and the Kranzberg soar proudly towards the heavens, with no clouds to mar their superb crests.

The Jungfrau, the queen of the picture, appears massive in its white setting. The snow, fallen after a spring storm, now covers the entire massif. If the mountain is revealed in this light, pure and sublime, the most intrepid mountaineers should not forget that the recent snowfalls now condemn any attempt at ascent: danger reigns everywhere and reminds man of his simple condition. Indeed, the attentive viewer will notice horrifying fracture lines in the steep slopes, a sign that devastating avalanches have indeed taken place in what appears, at first glance, to be a veritable white paradise... between beauty and fear, the mountain reveals itself to be sublime.

Jungfrau is sometimes terribly inaccessible and, paradoxically, it is often at these moments that it attracts us most.

In contrast to the sunny face of this mountain, the shadow of the surrounding summits reminds us of the immensity of the massif and the grandeur of the Swiss Alps. I particularly like this interplay of light, darkness and different shades of grey. Here, the power of lighting suggests the presence of other mountains without actually seeing them. I cultivate this art of "suggestion" in my work: sometimes, the sign of a thing has more poetic and evocative power than the vision of the thing.

This unique photograph will offer its owner hours of contemplation: from black crevasses to luminous ridges, from immaculate faces to dark, ominous rocky buttresses.