Gezicht op een chalet in de sneeuw 1907 - 1930

Adolphe Burdet made this view of a chalet in the snow without a date, but with so much atmosphere. The tonal range is incredible, from the warm browns at the top, to the cool blues and greys of the snow and the mountains. Burdet's delicate touch with the camera brings out all the textures of the landscape. Look at the way the snow is rendered, not just as a blanket of white, but with subtle shadows and variations that give it depth and form. Then there are the trees, their bare branches reaching up towards the sky, like delicate lines drawn with a fine brush. I think of Agnes Martin sometimes and the way that she let chance affect the outcome of her mark making. There is a bit of this in Burdet's work too. This piece is really a study in light and shadow, in how even the most ordinary scene can be transformed into something magical through the eye of an artist. Much like the work of Symbolist artists, this piece presents us with a very particular view of the world, one which embraces multiple perspectives.