Mountain View at Bormio (from Switzerland 1869 Sketchbook)

This watercolor captures a dramatic mountain vista, likely from a high vantage point in the Swiss Alps, looking towards Bormio, Italy. The jagged peaks, rendered with swift, confident strokes, dominate the upper half of the composition, their forms softened by atmospheric perspective. Below, a deep valley is suggested by washes of muted color, hinting at the vastness of the landscape. The use of both watercolor and gouache allows for a play between transparent washes and more opaque, textural elements, giving the scene a vibrant immediacy. You can almost feel the crisp mountain air and the grandeur of the untouched wilderness. This early work, created when the artist was just thirteen, already shows a remarkable ability to convey the essence of a place with minimal detail.