Description

Gigantic Dents du Midi dominating the Val d'Illiez, in the Swiss Alps. In this black and white photograph taken from the border between France and Switzerland, the mountains look sharp. On the right, the Haute Cime, culminating at 3257 meters of altitude, is the highest summit of the massif. Then there are the Doigts de Salanfe, the Dent Jaune, the Éperon, the Cathédrale, the Forteresse and the Cime de l'Est. Real ramparts watching over the valley. How small the chalets and villages built below seem, compared to the immensity of the mountain range!

I made this work in the middle of winter, when heavy snowfalls fell on the summits, covering the Dents du Midi with an incredible white coat. The phenomenon is rare and only occurs when an alchemy is created between the elements. I still don't know what the secret is. All I have to do is go to the high mountains after each storm, to try my luck again and again. So that one day finally a moment like this one occurs. This work owes its beauty to the purity of the snow hanging on the summits but also to the movement of clouds, perfectly arranged. These clouds endow the work with an incredible depth and dimension. I owe this photograph to fate, which offered me this moment of pure beauty. And I am happy that you can in turn enjoy this stunning spectacle.