View from Chesières, Dents du Midi in sunset fog, 30.09.2025. 27x30 cm.

View from Chesières. Dents du Midi in Sunset Fog. 30.09.2025

This original plein-air oil painting was created in Chesières, Switzerland, on an autumn evening overlooking the Dents du Midi mountain range through layers of sunset fog. Painted directly outdoors, the work captures the shifting atmosphere of the Swiss Alps at the moment when light, mist and mountains merge into a landscape that appears both monumental and fleeting.

Chesières, situated above Villars-sur-Ollon in the canton of Vaud, offers expansive views across alpine valleys toward the iconic peaks of the Dents du Midi. Visible from great distances, including the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), the mountain range is known for its striking silhouette and its constant transformation under changing weather and light conditions. (swiss-hiking.ch, vaud.ch)

On this September evening, fog began to gather across the landscape as the sun descended behind the mountains. The mist softened the contours of the valleys and partially veiled the peaks, while the remaining sunset light illuminated the atmosphere with subtle tones of gold, rose and violet. The Dents du Midi emerged and disappeared through the fog, creating a sense of depth, distance and quiet movement.

Rather than focusing on topographical precision alone, this painting explores the emotional experience of observing mountains through changing atmospheric conditions. The fog transformed the landscape into a sequence of layered spaces where light became as important as the mountains themselves. The scene seemed suspended between clarity and disappearance, presence and memory.

Created during a single plein-air painting session, this work preserves a fleeting encounter with alpine weather and evening light. The relationship between the distant peaks, the autumn air and the moving fog could only be observed for a short moment before darkness altered the landscape completely.

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 in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Chesières, Villars-sur-Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Dents du Midi mountain range in sunset fog
Region: Swiss Alps
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 30 September 2025

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 27 cm x 30 cm

Size with passé-partout  46 x 46 cm 

Date: 30 September 2025

Location: Chesières, Vaud, Switzerland