Elusive Needle

The astonishing Pizzo Torrone Orientale stands resolute and serene in the heart of the Val Bregaglia in the Alps. This little-known mountain in the Bernina massif stands on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Today it stands at 3,332 metres above sea level, but seems to have lost one metre compared to the data on older reference maps. At its foot, the Vadrec del Forno glacier spreads out towards the Val Forno. To its right, the summit Ago del Torrone appears.

This vertical photograph of Torrone Orientale highlights its incredible silhouette. An insatiable tooth of rock and ice, ready to devour the sky. As its name suggests, it stands like a defensive turret on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Brandishing its peak to better protect the splendour of a natural world still untouched by the lusts of man.

I created this powerful work in spring, when the sun was caressing the mountain with its first rays. The storm had just covered the rock faces with sparkling snow. I love the softness of the light that illuminates the painting, giving the mountain its silvery contrasts. The sharp silhouette of Torrone Orientale catches my eye, its aesthetics fascinating me. That morning, I instinctively felt what the mountain was expressing. That feeling of power, that sense of grandeur, that implacable will to tear the sky apart. Vibrating to the sound of the elements, I triggered my camera at that precise moment when the sublime met the inconceivable.