Photography, for all its apparent simplicity, is one of the most complex arts. Each picture of the photographer must accurately convey his mood and emotions – and at the same time reflect his view of the captured landscape. Maxime Daviron, a French artist who traveled extensively in various countries and managed to take many photographs united by a common theme – mountains, does a good job with this.
“Forgotten Lands” – so he called his series. All these landscapes met him not only in his native France, but also in Spain, Italy, Canada. Maxim managed to visit different countries and visit their most remote corners, where tourists usually do not get.
What can these paintings tell about
In the variety of mountain landscapes, the photographer sees different emotions. From admiration to fear, from a sense of beauty to a sense of the grandeur of the mountains and the insignificance next to them – everything is conveyed accurately and vividly. Photos were taken at different times – in the morning, afternoon and even at night.
Weather conditions were not an obstacle either: in one of the images you can even see lightning. In a thunderstorm, the mountains acquire a special majesty, gloomy splendor and even solemnity. The impression is enhanced by the contrast, which is transmitted by choosing the angle – the photographer created this picture so that the light fell from the front, and the mountains against this background seemed just dark masses of stone.
He also captured a depression between two hills – these were not mountains, but they are already visible in the distance, the terrain has become hilly, and a river flows below – in the distance, perhaps, there is a small village, but there are no people at all in the photo. Here’s what else unites all the compositions: Maxim Daviron worked on them alone – all these areas are not inhabited.
Some of the photos were taken from a height – you can see not only the landscape that spreads below, but also the clouds.
What does the artist himself say about the sources of his inspiration?
“There is something subtly mesmerizing about this atmosphere,” he says about how he came up with the idea for the cycle. – This is a completely deserted place that no one visits – and along with this, you can find breathtaking landscapes here. Of course, I wanted to capture them, choosing different times for this.
In such places, a person can visit different feelings. It may be admiration for the beauty of nature, it may be fear of huge stone massifs. I thought about this idea ten years ago – and finally I was able to realize it. In my work, the mountains are sometimes presented from unexpected sides – and can even lead to thoughts about the primitive world, when these mountain ranges were just born.
