Emergence of the Sphinx

This beautiful black-and-white photograph takes us above Grindelwald, to bernese alps. In the foreground, emerging from the mist at 3571 meters above sea level, the Sphinx observatory stands on the Jungfraujoch. At its foot is Europe's highest railway station, culminating at 3454 metres above sea level. In the background, the Fiescher Gabelhorn, Grosses Wannenhorn and Chamm catch our eye. These emblematic mountains of the Swiss Alps are part of the Walliser Fiescherhörner range, which overlooks the Aletsch glacier, the longest glacier in Europe.

I painted this sumptuous picture one winter's morning after a snowstorm. I was lucky enough to witness the unique spectacle of the Sphinx observatory rising from the clouds before being swallowed up again. I was able to immortalize the precise moment when the mist covers it and stagnates at its height. Alone in the face of the elements, the Sphinx resists the onslaught of time. The photograph reveals its natural environment. This universe of rock and ice inspires and nourishes my work.

Opposite the Sphinx, the summits Walliser Fiescherhörner shine in the first rays of sunlight. Towering above the mist, they stand side by side with the sky, a veritable fortress, inaccessible and unchanging. In this photograph, I love the sequence of shots that takes us into another world. Between light and shadow, the high mountains capture our gaze. Leaving the Sphinx behind, we set off to conquer summits. The image invites us to let our imaginations travel to that longed-for realm where human beings are only guests. When the mountain accepts and conditions permit. An astonishing flight that stirs our dreams and soothes our souls.