Tour d'Aï et Tour de Mayen, view from Roc d'Orsay, 29.08.2025, 13.5x22.5 cm

Tour d’Aï et Tour de Mayen. View from Roc d’Orsay. 29.08.2025

This original plein-air oil painting was created at Roc d’Orsay in the Vaud Alps, Switzerland, overlooking the distant silhouettes of Tour d’Aï and Tour de Mayen. Painted directly outdoors, the work captures the vast alpine panorama stretching across mountains, valleys and sky, where two of the most distinctive peaks of the region emerge through changing light and atmosphere.

Roc d’Orsay is one of the most remarkable viewpoints above Villars-sur-Ollon, offering expansive perspectives across the Alpes Vaudoises and the surrounding mountain ranges. From this elevated position, distant peaks appear layered through air and light, creating a landscape defined as much by atmosphere as by geography.

Tour d’Aï and Tour de Mayen rise prominently above Leysin and the Rhône Valley, forming one of the most recognizable mountain silhouettes of the Vaud Alps. These neighbouring peaks are known for their dramatic limestone cliffs and their commanding presence above the alpine landscape. Seen from Roc d’Orsay, they appear as powerful landmarks emerging from layers of atmosphere, light and distance.

On this August day, the mountains appeared suspended within the clarity of late-summer air. Light moved across the ridges and slopes, altering the perception of distance and revealing subtle transitions between foreground and horizon. The peaks seemed simultaneously solid and remote, emerging through delicate layers of atmosphere that softened the boundary between earth and sky.

Rather than focusing on topographical precision alone, this painting explores the experience of looking across immense alpine space. The composition becomes a study of distance, transparency and changing light, where mountains are perceived not only as geological forms but also as living elements within the atmosphere.

The Vaud Alps are characterized by interconnected panoramic viewpoints where mountain ranges, valleys and distant lakes remain visible across remarkable distances. From Roc d’Orsay, these overlapping horizons create a landscape that is constantly transformed by weather, season and the clarity of the air.

Created during a single plein-air painting session, this work preserves a fleeting encounter with alpine light and panoramic space. The stillness of the mountains, the openness of the sky and the shifting atmosphere became 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 records a direct experience of place, season and atmosphere observed outdoors in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Roc d’Orsay, Villars-sur-Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: View toward Tour d’Aï and Tour de Mayen
Region: Alpes Vaudoises, Switzerland
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 29 August 2025

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 13.5cm x 22.5 cm

Size with passé-partout  30.5 x 40 cm 

Date: 29 August 2025

Location: Roc D’Orsay, Vaud, Switzerland