Renowned artist creates stunning painting at foot of famous mountain
Taking “en plein air” to new heights, Saype unveils a new work at Mont-Blanc using biodegradable paints and chalk. He says weather is often a challenge.
Many artists use the environment as inspiration when completing works of art, whether it’s a painting, drawing or sculpture. But for one contemporary artist, the Earth is literally his canvas.
The French artist Saype, 34, known for his massive, Earth-friendly paintings in natural scenery, recently unveiled his latest work at the foot of Mont Blanc in Courmayeur, Italy.
The piece, a gigantic fresco made from biodegradable paint, chalk and charcoal, depicts an older person embracing a young girl who appears to revel in the sight of the mountain in the distance.
Saype's painting at the foot of Mont Blanc. (AFP)
The artist said in an interview with AFP that the piece represents intergenerational bridges between the older and younger segments of the population.
"Previous generations saw this mountain in a completely different way than we do, and future generations will see it differently too," Saype told AFP.
Saype says the weather at altitudes of over 6,500 feet above sea level doesn’t often cooperate with his art, but that’s simply one of the occupational hazards when your specialty is huge murals drawn on the land.
"We're in a spectacular setting, so for me it works really well," he said. "But for me, physically and logistically speaking, it's a lot more complicated because you have to think that I'm painting on a slope. You don't realize it but it's actually very steep."
According to AFP, Saype said he didn't cut one blade of glass or remove a single stone while working on the painting in an effort to affect the environment around him as little as possible.
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