Fascination with the Swiss and Italian peaks

Fascination with the Swiss and Italian peaks

When he joined François Diday’s studio in Geneva in 1846, Loppé began to explore the Bernese Oberland, where the Swiss teacher invited his students to paint outdoors. It was during this period that he began to go mountain climbing on the Aare glaciers. Subsequently, several iconic locations in the Swiss Alps were inspirations for his work: the village of Zermatt, the lake of Chanrion and, above all, the Matterhorn, between Valais and the Aosta Valley, became destinations of choice. In 1874, the painter sought to create a composition that would captivate the public. He chose a monumental format to depict a view of the Matterhorn from the rocky ridge of the Gornergrat, five hours away from Zermatt on foot. He did several studies outdoors to prepare for the execution of the final work, which was exhibited at London’s Conduit Street Gallery in 1874 and 1875. 

Seeking to express the reverberation of the winter light on the ice and snow as faithfully as possible, Loppé went on outings lasting a fortnight in the month of January. Accompanied by the guides Benoni or Melchior Anderreg, and sometimes by his friend the English writer Leslie Stephen, he was a pioneering figure who went before the development of winter tourism. The painter’s interest in the Matterhorn also led him to explore the southern face, above the resort of Breuil-Cervinia. Other expeditions took him to the Italian side of Monte Rosa and gave rise to many studies of clouds.