Bretaye. View from the bench at the train station. End of summer. 25.08.2025. 14.5x30.5 cm

Bretaye. View from the Bench at the Train Station. End of Summer. 25.08.2025

This original plein-air oil painting was created in Bretaye, Switzerland, at the end of summer 2025. Painted directly outdoors from a bench near the mountain railway station, the work captures a quiet moment of observation within the high alpine landscape of the Vaud Alps, where open views, mountain air and changing light define the experience of place.

Bretaye occupies a unique position above Villars-sur-Ollon, surrounded by alpine meadows, forests and panoramic mountain scenery. Accessible by the historic mountain railway, it serves as a gateway to some of the most celebrated viewpoints of the region, including Grand Chamossaire and Roc d’Orsay. Throughout the summer months, the area becomes a landscape of walking paths, grazing pastures and expansive views stretching across the Alps.

On this August day, the season was approaching its transition toward autumn. The intense greens of summer remained present, yet the atmosphere already carried a quieter character. The air felt clear and spacious, while the light revealed subtle variations across the mountains and valleys beyond.

The title refers to a simple place of pause: a bench beside the station where travellers, hikers and visitors stop to observe the landscape before continuing their journey. From this vantage point, the surrounding scenery unfolds gradually, inviting contemplation rather than movement. The painting preserves this experience of stillness within a landscape often associated with travel and exploration.

Rather than focusing on a specific landmark, the work explores the relationship between observation and place. The railway station, the bench and the surrounding mountain environment become part of a broader atmosphere shaped by altitude, weather and the changing season.

Created during a single plein-air painting session, this work records a fleeting encounter with the end of summer in the Swiss Alps. The clarity of the mountain air, the openness of the view and the quiet rhythm of Bretaye became the essential elements of the composition.

This painting belongs to my ongoing series dedicated to the Alps, the canton of Vaud and the landscapes of Western Switzerland. Each work preserves a direct experience of place, season and atmosphere observed outdoors in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Bretaye, Villars-sur-Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Alpine landscape viewed from Bretaye railway station
Region: Alpes Vaudoises, Switzerland
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 25 August 2025

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 14.5 cm x 30.5 cm

Size with passé-partout  29 x 41 cm 

Date: 25 August 2025

Location: Bretaye, Vaud, Switzerland