Magnificent sunrise over the Matterhorn, one of the most emblematic summits in the Alps. Here it offers its most beautiful profile, visible from the heights of Zermatt, in the Swiss canton of Valais. Opposite us, the Hörnli ridge is the normal, most accessible route to the Matterhorn's summit . The ascent begins at the Hörnli hut, which can be seen in this picture. On the right, the Zmutt ridge bears the name of a village below.

I waited many years to capture this magical moment. On this particular day, I got up very early to reach the precise spot that would allow me to get that perfect angle of view. I had to be there at sunrise. It was winter, and the mountain was just recovering from a storm that had blanketed it in snow. These conditions are becoming rarer and rarer to obtain. Every year, the wind becomes more intense, sweeping the faces of summits , which are then rapidly stripped of their snowy mantle. Here, the snow held firm, giving the work its purity.

In taking this photograph, I wanted to emphasize the mountain's otherness through pronounced graphics and powerful contrasts. The yin and yang of a nature both strong and fragile. To achieve this, the sun's rays had to illuminate only the east face of the mountain, leaving the north face in darkness. This exceptional phenomenon only occurs for a few weeks each year. For the Matterhorn's north face to be visible in the shadows, the snow covering it also had to be deep enough for the brightness of the heavens to be reflected on its walls. Finally, I was lucky enough to have a veil of altitude form behind the mountain, adding softness and substance to the whole. This depth gives it an incredible presence. All these conditions combine to make this painting an ode to the Matterhorn, a mythical creature that seems to reign supreme over the surrounding Alpine massifs.