Gezicht op een bergwand met sneeuw 1907 - 1930

Adolphe Burdet made this tiny painting of a snow-covered mountain range with delicate strokes, probably en plein air, trying to capture the pale light in the high altitude. I imagine him standing there, the wind biting at his face, squinting at the sun reflecting off the snow, mixing his colors quickly. Did he layer the paint thinly, letting it almost dissolve into the canvas, or build up a thicker impasto to mimic the texture of the snow? It seems he was after a certain kind of optical effect. Look at the way the light diffuses across the mountain, creating a sense of atmosphere. The subtle variations in tone – the palest blues, grays, and yellows – suggest the cool, crisp air. I can almost feel the chill. There’s a kinship here with other painters who were obsessed with light, like Turner, who made their own pilgrimages to the mountains, and even contemporary artists, like Lois Dodd, who made series of paintings from her window, of the same mountain, in every season and light. This painting is a reminder that artists are always looking, always responding, to the world around them.