The Jungfrau

Vallotton’s style was based upon the stark contrast between black and white. In executing this view of the Jungfrau mountain in the Swiss Alps, he relied on the tight precision of his technique to convey the drama and mystery of the mountains. Although done by a Nabis artist at the close of the 19th century, this image harks back to the Romantic landscapes of the beginning of the century, in which wonders of the natural world, such as mountains, waterfalls, and volcanoes, were rendered as sublime and fearsome. Vallotton’s aim, however, was more decorative than sublime.