Eugène Etienne SORDET (1836-1915), "Lac de Tannay en Valais", oil on canvas signed lower left "E. Sordet". H. 24 x 37.5 cm Note: Eugène Étienne Sordet (1836-1915) was a Swiss painter, principally known for his landscapes, following in the tradition of Swiss Romanticism. A pupil of Alexandre Calame (1810-1864), one of the greatest Swiss landscape painters of the 19th century, Sordet inherited from his master a meticulous attention to the effects of light and a realistic approach to Alpine nature. He favoured mountain and forest landscapes, characterised by the often dramatic interplay of light and shadow, and by his mastery of depicting natural atmospheres, with a romantic touch and an attention to detail typical of the Swiss Landscape School. He was one of a generation of artists who helped to perpetuate and enrich the heritage of nineteenth-century Swiss painting, celebrating nature through poetic realism. His pupil was Richard Ranft (1862-1931), and he acted as a bridge between the Swiss Romantic tradition and the emerging artistic trends of the turn of the twentieth century. The painting above perfectly illustrates the influence of his master Alexandre Calame and his attachment to the tradition of the Swiss Romantic landscape. Here, he highlights a majestic mountain setting, where nature dominates, with the presence of the lake, the solitary fir tree and the steep relief reinforcing the impression of grandeur and serenity. The slightly hazy sky and the shadows cast on the mountain suggest an atmosphere of either sunrise or sunset, characteristic of romantic landscapes that play on variations in light. Far from being a simple topographical reproduction, this work expresses a sensibility that seeks to capture the raw, timeless beauty of the Alps, and the earthy tones of the foreground contrast with the cooler tones of the mountain, creating a beautiful depth and subtle realism. In conclusion, This painting is a fine illustration of the Swiss landscape of the XIXᵉ century, in which Sordet continues the legacy of Calame (see lot 299 of this sale) while asserting his own sensibility that is fully in keeping with that Romantic tradition that values nature as a space of contemplation and grandeur, capturing both the power and the tranquillity of Alpine landscapes.