François BIRBAUM (1872–1947), “Lac du Louché”, dry pastel on paper, signed lower right. H. 16.5 x 23 cm Influenced by the teachings of the great Russian landscape painter Ivan Shishkin, he explored the Valais and the Rhône Valley to capture the purity of the high mountains with that powdery texture and distinctive light so characteristic of dry pastel. His works, such as his lake scenes—including this one and “Lac de Fully”—and his views of the Zinalrothorn and the Grammont, bear witness to his love for the peaks of Valais.