MOUNT STANLEY BY VITTORIO SELLA

VITTORIO SELLA  (1859-1943) 

Mount Stanley (5,109 m -16,762 ft)

Uganda - Congo border

photographed in 1906 during the Duke of Abruzzi expedition

The mountain 

Mount Stanley  (5,109 m -16,762 ft) is located in the Rwenzori range and is the highest mountain of both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and the third highest in Africa, after Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m -19,340ft) and Mount Kenya (5,199 m - 17,057ft). The peak and several other surrounding peaks are high enough to support glaciers. Mount Stanley is named for the journalist and explorer, Sir Henry Morton Stanley. It is part of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, a UNESCO world Heritage Site. 

Mt. Stanley consists of two twin summits and several lower peaks which are : 

Margherita Peak (5,109m - 16,763ft), Alexandra Peak (5,091m - 16,703ft), Albert Peak (5,087m - 16,690ft), Savoia Peak (4,977m - 16,330ft), Ellena Peak (4,968m -16,300ft), Elizabeth Peak (4,929m - 16,170 ft), Phillip Peak (4,920m - 16,140ft), Moebius Peak (4,916m - 16,130 ft) and Great Tooth (4,603m - 15,100ft).

Mt. Stanley was first climbed in 1906 by the Prince Luigi Amedeo di Savoia , Duke of the Abruzzi, (1873-1933), J. Petigax, C. Ollier, and J. Brocherel. He is known as well for his Arctic explorations and for his mountaineering expeditions, particularly to Mount Saint Elias (Alaska–Yukon) and K2 (Pakistan–China). Margherita Peak is named after Queen Margherita of Italy the prince's cousin.

The Rwenzori Mountains National Park is considered a model for integration of cultural values into the Protected Area Management framework as an innovative approach to resource management, the first of its kind in Africa.  As a result the local communities have embraced collaborative resource management initiatives. Given its significance as one of the biodiversity hotspots in the Albertine Rift, various local and international NGOs have supported the management and conservation of the property. A General Management Plan guides management operations on-site. Key challenges to address include illegal felling of trees, snow recession due to global warming, human population pressure adjacent to the property and management of waste generated through tourism operations. UWA is addressing the above threats through resource protection, community conservation education, research and ranger-based monitoring, ecotourism and transboundary initiatives with the DRC. The long-term maintenance of the integrity of the property will be achieved through sustainable financing, ecological monitoring, continued collaboration with key stakeholders andregional cooperation.

Climbing

The Bujuku valley is enclosed within a steep triangle formed by Mount Stanley and Mounts Speke and Baker, the second and third highest Ruwenzori peaks respectively. The worst part about climbing in the Ruwenzori is the approach, as four days of jungle and bogs guard the mountains on both the Zaire and Uganda sides. There are, however, good trails in the mountains, and plenty of huts for overnight. From Mutsori, Zaire, local tribesman are available as guides or porters.

Sources: 

- Peakware- World Mountain Encyclopedia

- UNESCO world Heritage Site

The artist
Vittorio Sella is a mountain italian climber and photographer who took his passion for mountains from his uncle, Quintino Sella, founder of the Italian Alpine Club.  He accomplished many remarkable climbs in the Alps, the first wintering in the Matterhorn and Mount Rose (1882) and the first winter crossing of Mont Blanc (1888).
He took part in various expeditions outside Italy:
- Three in the Caucasus in 1889, 1890 and 1896 where a summit still bears his name;
- The ascent of Mount Saint Elias in Alaska in 1897;
- Sikkim and Nepal in 1899;
- Possibly climb Mount Stanley in Uganda in 1906 during an expedition to the Rwenzori;
- Recognition at  K2   in 1909;
- In Morocco in 1925.
During expeditions in Alaska, Uganda and Karakoram (K2), he accompanied the Duke of Abruzzi, Prince Luigi Amedeo di Savoia.
Sella continues the practice of climbing into his old age, completing his final attempt in the Matterhorn at the age of 76; a climb he had to interrupt the rise following an accident in which one of his guides injured. He died in his hometown during World War II.  His photographic collection is now managed by the Sella Foundation.
His photos mountain are still  considered today to be among the finest ever made.
Jim Curran believes that "Sella remains probably the greatest photographer of the mountain.  His name is synonymous with technical perfection and aesthetic refinement. "
The quality of the pictures of Vittorio Sella is partly explained by the use of a view camera 30 × 40 cm, despite the difficulty of the transportation of such a device, both heavy and fragile in places inaccessible; to be able to transport it safely, he had to make special pieces that can be stored in saddle bags.  His photographs have been widely distributed, either through the press or in the galleries, and were unanimously celebrated; Ansel Adams, who was able to admire thirty-one in an exhibition that was organized at Sella American Sierra Club, said they inspired him "a religious kind of sense of wonder."  Many of his pictures were taken in the mountains for the very first time in the History, which give them a much artistic, historical  but also scientific value ; for example, one could measure the decline in the Rwenzori glaciers in Central Africa.
Source:
 -  The Georgian Museum of Photography

MOUNT PINATUBO PAINTED BY FERNANDO AMORSOLO

FERNANDO AMORSOLO (1882-1972)

Mount Pinatubo or Bundok Pinatubo 
(1,745 m - 5,725 ft before 1991 eruption) (1, 486 m - 4,875 ft current)
Philippines

Painted before the 1938 eruption

The mountain 

Mount Pinatubo  (1,745 m - 5,725 ft before 1991 eruption reduced to 1, 486m- 4,875ft nowadays) also called Bundok Pinatubo or Bulkang Pinatubo in Philippino is an active stratovolcano in the Cabusilan Mountains on the island of Luzon, near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga. Its eruptive history was unknown to most before the volcanic activities of 1991. Pinatubo was heavily eroded, inconspicuous, and obscured from view. It was covered with dense forest which supported a population of several thousand indigenous Aetas people.
The volcano's Plinian / Ultra-Plinian eruption on June 15, 1991 produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in the Alaska Peninsula. Complicating the eruption was the arrival of Typhoon Yunya (Diding), bringing a lethal mix of ash and rain to areas surrounding the volcano. Predictions at the onset of the climactic eruption led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the surrounding areas, saving many lives. Surrounding areas were severely damaged by pyroclastic flows, ash deposits, and, subsequently, by the lahars caused by rainwaters re-mobilizing earlier volcanic deposits. This caused extensive destruction to infrastructure and changed river systems for years after the eruption.
The effects of the eruption were felt worldwide. It injected more particulate into the stratosphere than any eruption since Krakatoa in 1883. Over the following months, the aerosols formed a global layer of sulfuric acid haze.  Global temperatures dropped by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) in the years 1991-93, and ozone depletion temporarily increased substantially.

Source:

- Wikipedia 

The painter 

Fernando Cueto Amorsolo was one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines.Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light. After graduating from the Univeajor influences on his work. Amorsolo set up his own studio upon his return to Manila and painted prodigiously during the 1920s and the 1930s. His Rice Planting (1922), which appeared on posters and tourist brochures, became one of the most popular images of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Beginning in the 1930s, Amorsolo's work was exhibited widely both in the Philippines and abroad. His bright,optimistic, pastoral images set the tone for Philippine painting before World War II . Except for his darker World War II-era paintings, Amorsolo painted quiet and peaceful scenes throughout his career.

Amorsolo was sought after by influential Filipinos including Luis Araneta, Antonio Araneta and Jorge B. Vargas. Amorsolo also became the favourite Philippine artist of United States officials and visitors to the country. Due to his popularity, Amorsolo had to resort to photographing his works and pasted and mounted them in an album. Prospective patrons could then choose from this catalog of his works. Amorsolo did not create exact replicas of his trademark themes; he recreated the paintings by varying some elements.

His works later appeared on the cover and pages of children textbooks, in novels, in commercial designs, in cartoons and illustrations for the Philippine publications such The Independent, Philippine Magazine, Telembang, El Renacimiento Filipino, and Excelsior. He was the director of the University of the Philippine's College of Fine Arts from 1938 to 1952.

During the 1950s until his death in 1972, Amorsolo averaged to finishing 10 paintings a month. However, during his later years, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis, headaches, dizziness and the death of two sons affected the execution of his works. Amorsolo underwent a cataract operation when he was 70 years old, a surgery that did not impede him from drawing and painting.

After being confined at the St. Luke's Hospital in Quezon City for two months, Amorsolo died  at the age of 79 on April 24, 1972. The volume of paintings, sketches and studies of Amorsolo is believed to have reached more than 10,000 pieces. Amorsolo was an important influence on contemporary Filipino art and artists, even beyond the so-called "Amorsolo school." Amorsolo's influence can be seen in many landscape paintings by Filipino artists, including early landscape paintings by abstract painter Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.

In 2003, Amorsolo's children founded the Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving Fernando Amorsolo's legacy, promoting his style and vision, and preserving a national heritage through the conservation and promotion of his works.

Sources

 - Fernando Amorsolo foundation web site 

2016 - Wandering Vertexes...

by Francis Rousseau 

VICTORIA PEAK (HK) BY CHRISTOPHER JAMES WARD

CHRISTOPHER JAMES WARD  (bn. 1968) 

Victoria Peak (552m-1,811ft) 

 China (Hong-Kong) 

Victoria Peak as it was in 1858,  oil on canvas, Private coll. 

The mountain 

Victoria Peak  (552m -1,811ft)  or 太平山  (in Chinese) also locally called The Peak or Mount Austin an sa few others cantonese and Hong Kong Hakka names such as Taai Pen Saa or Deng or

Saan Deng or Ce Kei Saan or Lou Fung... is a mountain in the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is the highest mountain on Hong Kong island, ranked 31 in terms of elevation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ; Tai Mo Shan  (957m) being  the highest point in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.The summit is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name The Peak. During the19th century, the Peak attracted prominent European residents because of its panoramic view over the city and its relatively temperate climate compared to the sub-tropical climate in the rest of Hong Kong. The sixth Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Richard MacDonnell had a summer residence built on the Peak circa 1868. Those that built houses named them whimsically, such as The Eyrie, and the Austin Arm. These original residents reached their homes by sedan chairs, which were carried up and down the steep slope of Victoria Peak. This limited development of the Peak until the opening of the Peak Tram funicular in 1888.

The boost to accessibility caused by the opening of the Peak Tram created demand for residences on the Peak. Between 1904 and 1930, the Peak Reservation Ordinance designated the Peak as an exclusive residential area reserved for non-Chinese. They also reserved the Peak Tram for the use of such passengers during peak periods. The Peak remains an upmarket residential area, although residency today is based on wealth. The Peak is home to many species of birds, most prominently the black kite, and numerous species of butterflies.

With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. It offers spectacular views of the city and its waterfront. The viewing deck also has coin-operated telescopes that the visitors can use to enjoy the cityscape. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other.

Victoria Peak Garden is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor's old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from Victoria Gap by walking up ,,, a climb of about 150 m - 490 ft. Another popular walk is the level loop along Lugard Road, giving good views of Hong Kong's Central district and Kowloon, and then returning via Harlech Road, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Hong Kong, The Peak is also the summit of Hong Kong's property market.

Source: 

 - Wikipedia  

The painter 

Christopher James Ward, born in New Castle, New Hampshire on October 17, 1968, is an American landscape and maritime painter. Ward is best known for the rich luminosity and detail of his work, and as M. Melissa Wolfe, a curator at the Columbus Museum of Art, writes, “Ward’s contribution to this genre is fresh and original, as equally enlivened by the boldness of a personal vision as it is unencumbered by expressions of indebtedness.”

Dually, art and the sea have been formative elements in Ward’s development. The summers that Ward spent in Cape Split, Maine were accompanied by the artistic pursuits of his mother, who was a local portrait painter following her studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Among his peers, Ward chose a path separate from that of standard academic training and at the age of seventeen he followed his instincts to pursue his craft through nature and experience. This confidence in personal vision and independent integrity contributed to the development of Ward’s memorable and unmistakable artistic ‘signature’ and remain at the forefront of his work today.

Ward’s paintings resonate his own independence through concept and method while simultaneously paying tribute to the maritime tradition he continues. Whereas dated merchant records, archived architectural documents, old photographs, and historic maps provide an exciting initial vision for Ward, it is his own experiences, feelings, and imagination of the locations and subjects that articulate the paintings from start to finish. “His works share an affinity with those artists who felt a deep sympathy for a specific place. Even more important, these artists are able to transfer onto canvas their understanding of the mystery, of the intangible powers, that drive the elemental world of these locations,” writes M. Melissa Wolfe.

Ward captures his initial perspective on a location through his comprehensive painting method. Often he begins onsite, creating oil sketches to preserve both the natural atmosphere and mood of the place. Once completing the sketches, he turns to archival maps and historical documentation to create a finished drawing and begin the actual composition. The finished painting will maintain the freshness of his original inspiration while presenting a many layered, meticulously detailed piece of maritime history. The works embody Ward’s simple desire to “create a power that viewers can connect with… to put myself into my paintings.”

Currently, Ward splits his time between New Hampshire and the Washington, DC area with occasional travels to Alaska, London, and France. Although with the vast beauty that North America provides, Ward has elected in recent years to remain stateside and concentrate on the Eastern seaboard. As a twelfth generation native of New Castle, New Hampshire, Ward’s commitment to preserving the beauty of the East Coast runs deep; he is an active outdoorsman as well as a New Hampshire wilderness guide.

Source

- Christopher James Ward Website 

MOUNT MERU PAINTED BY ROBERT. MC LELLAN-SIM

ROBERT LEWIS MC LELLAN-SIM ( 1907-1985)

Mount Meru  (4,562 m - 14,968 ft)

Tanzania

The mountain 

Mount Meru (4,562 m - 14,968 ft) - not to be confused with Meru peak in Indian Hymalayas -  is a dormant stratovolcano located 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  
Mount Meru is visible from Mount Kilimanjaro on a clear day, and is the fifth highest mountain in Africa. Much of its bulk was lost about 7,800 years ago due to an eastward volcanic blast. Other eruptions certainly occurred after this gigantic eruption but they are known only from 1878 when an eruption generates caldera explosions and lava flows emitted from the northwest of the cinder cone located in the center. Exactly at the same place new lava flows in 1886. The last eruption, which takes place between October 26 and December 22, 1910, didn't emit  lava flows but generates explosions at summit cinder cone of the caldera. Since then, Mount Meru doesn't have eruption but it is still considered active. Fumaroles were observed of late 2014, early 2015, suggesting that it is indeed always active. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity.

Mount Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savanna and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards.
Climbing
The summit of Mount Meru is accessible to any good walker after a three-day ascent. The summit altitude and the steepness of its slopes are often an ideal warm-up for hikers who want to try later climb Kilimanjaro. Mount Meru still has some difficulty with the length of the climb and cold climate at the top that can cause exhaustion, a mountain sickness or hypothermia if equipment is inadequate and we overestimated his ability. Several  shelters possible : Miriakamba Hut at 2500 meters and Saddle Hut at 3600 meters. Accompaniment by a ranger of the Arusha National Park armed with a gun is required to prevent the attacks of wild animals (leopards, buffalos charging if they feel in danger, etc). Many hiking groups also ask for guides and porters. The high gradient allows the crossing of varied landscapes populated of wild animals at 2000 meters, more dense and humid forest at 3000 meters and lunar landscape of rock and ashes over 4000 meters.
The summit of Mount Meru offers a panorama appreciated especially in the early morning, the sun rising over Kilimanjaro located a few tens of kilometers to the east. His achievement is entitled to a certificate issued to the entrance of the park on the last day, the return of the climb.

The painter 

Robert Mc Lellan Sim (RMS) was born in Newport, Gwent, Wales.  He attended Newport Secondary School from 1919 to 1924. In 1926 he won three prizes for graphic arts at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and in 1926 he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Newport School of Arts and Crafts (now part of the University of Wales). After finishing college with a Board of Education Teachers Certificate he attended the Newport Institute for Research into Art and Design (N.I.R.A.D.). Years later NIRAD merged with its sister institute from Cardiff to create the Wales Institute for Research into Art and Design.  

RMS was a prolific artist, and during his time in East Africa (he travelled throughout Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zanzibar) he completed as many as 40 paintings a year. His work was in great demand, mostly in Kenya and purchased by many eminent people and was extremely popular as an official gift or a farewell present. The Colony of Kenya presented a McLellan-Sim painting to HM The Queen on the occasion of her Coronation in 1953, and HM The Queen Mother was presented with another to commemorate her Visit to Kenya in 1959. Many a departing dignitary at the time of independence received a McLellan-Sim painting as a farewell gift. Both Jake Fletcher and Amoeba Walker took McLellan-Sim works of art home with them to England when they left the Prince of Wales School. The Kenya Regiment presented a McLellan-Sim painting to Sir Patrick Renison as their departing Commander-in -Chief when he retired as Governor of Kenya in 1961. 

RMS was a successful commercial artist, with his clients including the East African Tobacco Company, the East African Standard and the Uganda Tourist Board. His public works included the murals for the Kenya Agricultural Stand in the Rhodes Centenary Exhibition of 1952 in Bulawayo, the Nakuru Railway Station murals of 1957 and the 1960 mural for the National Assembly Building in Nairobi. 

RMS designed the 1954 blue 10 shilling postage stamp depicting the Royal Lodge at Sagana.

RMS’s move to Kenya in 1947 was a search for colour and space. His brief war service in the Far East obviously gave him a taste for warmer climes, brighter colours and wide spaces, aspects that were to feature strongly in his African paintings. He is on record as saying that he preferred landscapes and seascapes to portraits because he could go away on his own, often combining his field trips with fishing expeditions, during which he could turn to his sketch book when the trout would not jump! 

In 1958, when back in England on home-leave, he told The Worthing Herald: 

”I always paint sunshine. It was the sunshine that attracted me. I can’t paint greyness and cloudy skies, so Kenya is definitely the place for me.” 

Reference

 - Old Cambrian Society 

PIZ GREVLASALVAS PAINTED BY GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI

GIOVANNI GIACOMETTI (1868-1933) 

Piz Grevalsalvas  (2,932 m -9,619 ft)

Swizterland 

 In Piz Grevalsalvas 1927, oil on canvas, Private coll.  

The mountain 

Piz Grevalsalvas (2,932 m -9,619 ft) is a mountain of the Albula Alps, located north of Maloja in the canton oSwitzerland Graubünden. It lies on the range between the Julier Pass and Lake Sils.

This is a ski mountain, where ski activity is intense in winter. From Piz Grevasalvas was stunning views of the Upper Engadine and Surgôt, upper Oberhalbstein. The neighboring peaks are Piz Mater Dell and Radonda Motta (in the club guide called Piz Nalar SAC) Lunghin Piz and Piz dal Sasc.

It is on the Grevasalvas that was filmed the famous children's series "Heidi" in 1978.

The painter 

Giovanni Giacometti was a Swiss painter, the father of  the famous painter and sculptor Alberto  Giacometti, and of Diego Giacometti, the furniture designer as well as the father of the architect Bruno Giacometti ! In 1886, he studied painting at the School of Decorative Arts in Munich, where he met Cuno Amiet the following year. Both decide to pursue their studies in Paris, in October stood at the Académie Julian, where Giacometti remains until 1891.

In 1893, shortly after his return to Switzerland, to Bergell, he became friends with Giovanni Segantini, his eldest ten years, which has great influence on his work by opening it to the beauty of the mountain scenery and the rules of divisionism. After his sudden death in 1899, Giacometti met Ferdinand Hodler, who teaches him to create a rigorous and ornamental composition by appropriate use of shapes and colors.

He sees regularly Cuno Amiet, who after a year spent in Pont-Aven,  shared his experience with him. In 1900 he exhibited in the Swiss Pavillon of the Universal Exhibition in Paris. From 1905, Giacometti works again in a great complicity with Amiet and begins to break free from the influence of Segantini. In 1906, held an exhibition of his work at Kunstlerhaus Zurich. In 1907 he went to Paris with Amiet to the Cézanne retrospective at the Salon d'Automne. They copy all the works of Van Gogh. In 1908, he exhibited with the French Fauves at the Richter Gallery in Dresden.

In 1909, the Tannhauser Gallery presents his works in Munich. He meets Alexi von Jawlensky, and in 1911 participates in the Berlin Secession. In 1912, Giacometti has a solo show at the Kunsthaus Zurich presents two works in the Sonderbund of Cologne. In 1918 after Hodler' s death, he began to be involved into the Swiss political world  paying an important part as a committed artist, following intthat way friend Amiet.
______________________________
2016 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
 

DIADEM MOUNTAIN PAINTED BY JOHN LA FARGE

JOHN LA FARGE (1835-1910) 

Diadem Mountain (1,321m - 4,334 ft) or Te Hena o Mai’ao 

 French Polynesia (Tahiti)

In  Diadem Mountain at Sunset, 1891, oil on canvas, Brooklyn Museum, USA

The mountain 
Diadem Mountain (1,321m - 4,334 ft) or Te Hena o Mai’ao is a peak located in  Tahiti, clearly visible from the plain of Pirae. Its shape recalls that of a "Tiara", a jewel forming half a crown. Diadem mountain  inspired many a photographer and painter, as John Lafarge who painted it at sunset.

Tahitian name is Hena o Te Mai'ao. Te Hena, was the refuge of the warrior Tehana Tohua that the top of the mountain with a rounded top, would direct his troops and watched the pass Taonua Pirae. As soon as the canoes enemies with the shooters arrived on the  Aorai Tini Au beach, the warriors descended directly from the mountain gliding over the reeds (a'eho).

"A'eho mata mata te ura i ve to ihe ea" means" The house doors were made with this reed".

Tahiti is the highest and largest island in French Polynesia lying close to Moorea island. It is located 4,400 km (2,734 mi) south of Hawaii, 7,900 km (4,909 mi) from Chile and 5,700 km (3,542 mi) from Australia. The island is 45 km (28 mi) across at its widest point and covers an area of 1,045 km² (403 sq mi). The highest peak is Mont Orohena (Mou'a 'Orohena) (2,241 m (7,352 ft)). Mount Roonui, or Mount Ronui (Mou'a Rōnui) in the southeast rises to 1,332 m (4,370 ft). The island consists of two roughly round portions centred on volcanic mountains and connected by a short isthmus named after the small town of Taravao, situated there.

The northwestern portion is known as Tahiti Nui ("big Tahiti"), while the much smaller southeastern portion is known as Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti") or Tai'arapū. Tahiti Nui is heavily populated along the coast, especially around the capital, Papeete.

The interior of Tahiti Nui is almost entirely uninhabited. Tahiti Iti has remained isolated, as its southeastern half (Te Pari) is accessible only to those travelling by boat or on foot. The rest of the island is encircled by a main road which cuts between the mountains and the sea.

A scenic and winding interior road climbs past dairy farms and citrus groves with panoramic views. Tahiti's landscape features lush rainforests and many streams, including the Papenoo River on the north side.

 The Painter 

John La Farge was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.

born in New York City to wealthy French parents and was raised bilingually; as a child, he and his brothers produced a handmade magazine in French entitled Le Chinois.  His interest in art began during his studies at Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland and St. John's College (now Fordham University) in New York.  He initially intended to study law, but this changed after his first visit to Paris, France in 1856. Stimulated by the arts in the city, he studied with Thomas Couture and became acquainted with notable literary people. La Farge also studied with the painter William Morris Hunt in Newport, Rhode Island.

La Farge's earliest drawings and landscapes, from his studies in Newport, show marked originality, especially in the handling of color values. Many of La Farge's mythological and religious paintings, including Virgil, were executed in an area of Rhode Island known as "Paradise," in a forest which La Farge called "The Sacred Grove" after Virgil.

He was a pioneer in the study of Japanese art, the influence of which is seen in his work. During his life, La Farge maintained a studio at 51 West 10th Street in Greenwich Village, which now is part of the site of Eugene Lang College at the New School University.

Between 1859 and 1870, he illustrated Tennyson's Enoch Arden and Robert Browning's Men and Women.

In the 1870s, La Farge began to do murals, which became popular for public buildings as well as churches. His first mural was done in Trinity Church, Boston, in 1873. Then followed his decorations in the Church of the Ascension (the large altarpiece) and St. Paul's Chapel, New York. For the Minnesota State Capitol at St. Paul, he executed at age 71 four great lunettes representing the history of law. He created a similar series based on the theme of Justice for the State Supreme Court building at Baltimore, Maryland. He also took private commission from wealthy patrons (e.g. Cornelius Vanderbilt) and was reputedly worth $150,000 at one point.

La Farge made extensive travels in Asia and the South Pacific, which inspired his painting. He visited Japan in 1886, and the South Seas in 1890 and 1891, in particular spending time and absorbing the culture of Tahiti. Henry Adams accompanied him on these trips as a travel companion. He visited Hawaii in September 1890, where he painted scenic spots on Oahu and traveled to the Island of Hawaii to paint an active volcano.

In 1892, La Farge was brought on as an instructor with the Metropolitan Museum of Art Schools to provide vocational training to students in New York City. He served as President of the National Society of Mural Painters from 1899 to 1904.

La Farge died at Butler Hospital, in Providence, Rhode Island in 1910. The interment was at Green-Wood Cemetery, in Brooklyn, New York. His papers, together with some of those of certain children and grandchildren, are held by Yale University Library.

CAYAMBE PAINTED BY FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH

FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH  (1826-1900) 

 Cayambe  (5,790 m -19,000 ft)

 Ecuador

In The Andes of Ecuador, oil on canvas, 1858

The mountain 

Cayambe or Volcбn Cayambe (5,790 m -19,000 ft) is the name of a volcano located in the Cordillera Central, a range of the Ecuadorian Andes. It is located in Pichincha province some 70 km (43 mi) northeast of Quito. It is the third highest mountain in Ecuador.

Cayambe, which has a permanent snow cap, is a Holocene compound volcano which last erupted in March 1786. At 4,690 metres (15,387 ft) on its south slope is the highest point in the world crossed by the Equator and the only point on the Equator with snow cover. The volcano and most of its slopes are within the Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve.  Studies conducted since 1995 by a joint team of Ecuadorian and French researchers have shown that during the last 4000, the Cayambe has experienced periods of intense eruptive activity about 700 years alternating with rest periods of 500 to 600 years. The resumption of eruptions must be considered.
Moreover, the region is home to numerous flower plantations for export; however, the non-secure management and toxic effects of these crops have caused serious damage to the environment and create health problems among employees of the plantations.

The painter
Frederic Edwin Church was an American landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, perhaps best known for painting large panoramic landscapes, often depicting mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets, but also sometimes depicting dramatic natural phenomena that he saw during his travels to the Arctic and Central and South America. Church's paintings put an emphasis on light and a romantic respect for natural detail. In his later years, Church painted classical Mediterranean and Middle Eastern scenes and cityscapes.
Church was the product of the second generation of the Hudson River School and the pupil of Thomas Cole, the school’s founder. The Hudson River School was established by the British Thomas Cole when he moved to America and started painting landscapes, mostly of mountains and other traditional American scenes.  Both Cole and Church were devout Protestants and the latter's beliefs played a role in his paintings especially his early canvases.  Church did differ from Cole in the topics of his paintings: he preferred natural and often majestic scenes over Cole's propensity towards allegory.
Church, like most second generation Hudson River School painters, used extraordinary detail, romanticism, and luminism in his paintings. Romanticism was prominent in Britain and France in the early 1800s as a counter-movement to the Enlightenment virtues of order and logic. Artists of the Romantic period often depicted nature in idealized scenes that depicted the richness and beauty of nature, sometimes also with emphasis on the grand scale of nature.
This tradition carries on in the works of Frederic Church, who idealizes an uninterrupted nature, highlighted by creating excruciatingly detailed art. The emphasis on nature is encouraged by the low horizontal lines, and preponderance of sky to enhance the wilderness; humanity, if it is represented, is depicted as small in comparison with the greater natural reality. The technical skill comes in the form of luminism, a Hudson River School innovation particularly present in Church's works. Luminism is also cited as encompassing several technical aspects, which can be seen in Church’s works. One example is the attempt to “hide brushstrokes,” which makes the scene seem more realistic and lessen the artist’s presence in the work. Most importantly is the emphasis on light (hence luminism) in these scenes. The several sources of light create contrast in the pictures that highlights the beauty and detailed imagery in the painting.

GRAN ZEBRU PAINTED BY EDWARD H. COMPTON

EDWARD H. COMPTON  (1861-1960)

 Gran Zebru or Königspitze  (3,851m- 12,635 ft)

Italy

Oil on canvas, 1905

The mountain 

The Gran Zebru (3,851m- 12,635 ft) or  Königspitze (in german ) is a mountain of the Ortler Alps on the border between South Tyrol and the Province of Sondrio, Italy. After Ortler, it is the second highest peak in the Ortler Alps, know to have been a important strategic place during World War I.  The Gran Zebru forms the southeast end of this Dolomit Range. The  Italian name Gran Zebru (Big Zebra) derives from Val Zebru and is etymologically unclear. It is thought an origin of the pre-Roman name  Gimberu.

The mountain was first climbed (the date is controversial) on August 3, 1854, by Stephan Steinberger or 3 August 2864 by Tuckett, Buxton and the Biner Brothers. 

The mountain can be dangerous in warm weather, when the snow and ice can become unstable and particularly nowadays with the global warning melt of the permafrost.  The worst day for climbing fatalities on the mountain occurred on August 5, 1997, when seven people were killed in two separate incidents. On June 23, 2013, six were killed, also in two separate incidents.

The Painter
Edward Harrison Compton (1881–1960) not to be confused with his father Edward Theodore Compton (1849-1921) was a German landscape painter and illustrator of English descent. Compton was born in Feldafing in Upper Bavaria, Germany, the second son of notable landscape painter Edward Theodore Compton. He received his early art training from his father, and after a period of study in London at the Central School of Arts and Crafts settled back in Bavaria. Like his father he was inspired by the Alps to become a mountain painter ("bergmaller") working in both oils and watercolour. However, an attack of Polio at the age of 28 meant that he had to find more accessible landscapes to paint in Germany, England northern Italy and Sicily. He also provided illustrations for several travel books published by A & C Black. Compton exhibited at galleries in Munich and Berlin, and also in England at the Royal Academy in London and in Bradford. He died in Feldafing in 1960.
He had two sisters, both of whom were artists: Marion Compton, the flowers and still-life painter, and Dora Keel-Compton, flower and mountain painter
Source: 
- Wikipedia 

PENA OROEL PAINTED BY JOAQUIN SOROLLA

JOAQUIN SOROLLA Y BATISDA (1863-1923)

 Peña Oroel (1,769 m - 5, 803 ft) 

Spain 

The mountain 
Peña Oroel ((1,769 m - 5, 803 ft)  is a mountain located in Huesca (Spain), near the town of Jaca, in the chain of spanish Pyrenees. Not very high, his great personality makes it visible throughout the city of Jaca and surroundings. Its summit is only 5.5 km as the crow flies from the center of Jaca.
This mountain is part of a cluster of rocks located between the Pre-Pyrenees (Partacua range) and Guara separating  the middle basin of Aragon by the Gállego river.
Many legends on this mountain. One attributes the beginning of the Reconquest of Aragon by Isabella The Catholic when a fire have appeared at the top of the Peña Oroel, giving a mysterious fighting starting signal.  Another legend claims that Pena Oroel hides in its entrails a gold mine or a treasure, which of course was never found. This willingly described as Magic Mountain is part of a triangle that encompasses peaks located in San Adrián de Sasabe and San Juan de la Peña.
The ascent of the Pena Orcel is made easy by the fact that the base of the north face located at 1,200 m (El Parador) can be reached by car. There are only 9 km,  by four wheels vehicle, between Jaca and the  base of the South face. The North face is made of a brown stone wall with a steep slope covered with lush pine forest dominated by spruce in its top layer.

The painter 
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida  was a Spanish painter.  Sorolla excelled in the painting of portraits, landscapes, and monumental works of social and historical themes. His most typical works are characterized by a dexterous representation of the people and landscape under the sunlight of his native land.

Sorolla's influence on some other Spanish painters, such as Alberto Pla y Rubio and Julio Romero de Torres, was so noted that they are described as "sorollista."

After his death, Sorolla's widow, Clotilde Garcia del Castillo, left many of his paintings to the Spanish public. The paintings eventually formed the collection that is now known as the Museo Sorolla, which was the artist's house in Madrid. The museum opened in 1932.

Sorolla's work is represented in museums throughout Spain, Europe, America, and in many private collections in Europe and America. In 1933, J. Paul Getty purchased ten Impressionist beach scenes made by Sorolla, several of which are now housed in the J. Paul Getty Museum.

In 2007 many of his works were exhibited at the Petit Palais in Paris, alongside those of John Singer Sargent, a contemporary who painted in a similarly impressionist-influenced manner. In 2009, there was a special exhibition of his works at the Prado in Madrid, and in 2010, the exhibition visited the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba, Brazil.

From 5 December 2011 to 10 March 2012, several of Sorolla's works were exhibited in Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, in New York. This exhibition included pieces used during Sorolla's eight-year research for The Vision of Spain.

An exhibition titled Sorolla & America explored Sorolla’s unique relationship with the United States in the early twentieth century. The exhibition opened at the Meadows Museum at SMU in Dallas (13 December 2013 - 19 April 2014). From there it traveled to the San Diego Museum of Art (30 May - 26 August 2014) and then to Fundaciun MAPFRE in Madrid (23 September 2014 - 11 January 2015).

The Spanish National Dance Company honored the painter's The Vision of Spain by producing a ballet Sorolla based on the paintings

Early in 1911, Sorolla visited the United States for a second time, and exhibited 152 new paintings at the Saint Louis Art Museum and 161 at the Art Institute of Chicago a few weeks later. Later that year Sorolla met Archie Huntington in Paris and signed a contract to paint a series of oils on life in Spain. These 14 magnificent murals, installed to this day in the Hispanic Society of America building in Manhattan, range from 12 to 14 feet in height, and total 227 feet in length.The major commission of his career, it would dominate the later years of Sorolla's life.

Huntington had envisioned the work depicting a history of Spain, but the painter preferred the less specific 'Vision of Spain', eventually opting for a representation of the regions of the Iberian Peninsula, and calling it The Provinces of Spain. Despite the immensity of the canvases, Sorolla painted all but one en plein air, and travelled to the specific locales to paint them: Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Elche, Seville, Andalusia, Extremadura, Galicia, Guipuzcoa, Castile, Leon, and Ayamonte, at each site painting models posed in local costume. Each mural celebrated the landscape and culture of its region, panoramas composed of throngs of laborers and locals. By 1917 he was, by his own admission, exhausted. He completed the final panel by July 1919.

Sorolla suffered a stroke in 1920, while painting a portrait in his garden in Madrid. Paralyzed for over three years, he died on 10 August 1923. He is buried in the Cementeri de Valencia, Spain.

The Sorolla Room, housing the Provinces of Spain at the Hispanic Society of America, opened to the public in 1926. The room closed for remodeling in 2008, and the murals toured museums in Spain for the first time. The Sorolla Room reopened in 2010, with the murals on permanent display.

MOUNT SHASTA BY HENRY JOSEPH BREUER

HENRY JOSEPH BREUER  (1860-1932) 

Mount Shasta (4,322 m - 14,179 ft)

United Sates of America  (California)

oil on canvas,1903

The mountain 

Mount Shasta (4,322 m- 14,179 ft) named after a tribe of native american the Shasta, is also called "Uytaahkoo" (in Karuk) or "White Mountain". It  is a potentially active volcano (last known eruption in 1786) at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. Mount Shasta  is the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. The mountain and its surrounding area are managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Mount Shasta was declared a National Natural Landmark in December 1976.

In his Picturesque California in 1888, John Muir  described Mount Shasta and its area  "The Shasta region is still a fresh unspoiled wilderness, accessible and available for travelers of every kind and degree. Would it not be a fine thing to set it apart like the Yellowstone and Yosemite as a National Park for the welfare and benefit of all mankind, preserving its fountains and forests and all its glad life in primeval beauty?"

At the time of Euro-American contact in the 1820s, the Native American tribes who lived within view of Mount Shasta included: the Shasta, Okwanuchu, Modoc, Achomawi, Atsugewi, Karuk, Klamath, Wintu, and Yana tribes. 

The historic eruption of Mount Shasta in 1786 may have been observed by the french explorer Lapérouse. Although perhaps first seen by Spanish explorers, the first reliably reported land sighting of Mount Shasta by a European or American was by Peter Skene Ogden (a leader of a Hudson's Bay Company trapping brigade) in 1826. In 1827, the name "Sasty" or "Sastise" was given to nearby Mount McLoughlin by Ogden. The name was transferred to present-day Mount Shasta in 1841, partly as a result of work by the United States Exploring Expedition.

The lore of some of the Klamath Tribes in the area held that Mount Shasta is inhabited by the Spirit of the Above-World, , who descended from heaven to the mountain's summit at the request of a Klamath chief. Skell fought with Spirit of the Below-World, Llao, who resided at Mount Mazama by throwing hot rocks and lava, probably representing the volcanic eruptions at both mountains.

 A group of Native Americans from the McCloud River area practice rituals on the mountain.

Mount Shasta has also been a focus for non-Native American legends, centered on a hidden city of advanced beings from the lost continent of Lemuria. The legend grew from an offhand mention of Lemuria in the 1880s, to a description of a hidden Lemurian village in 1925. In 1931, Wisar Spenle Cerve wrote Lemuria: the lost continent of the Pacific, published by the Rosicrucians, about the hidden Lemurians of Mount Shasta that cemented the legend in many readers' minds.

In August 1987, believers in the spiritual significance of the Harmonic Convergence described Mount Shasta as one of a small number of global "power centers". Mount Shasta remains a focus of "New Age" attention.

Mount Shasta is connected to nearby Shastina, and they dominate the northern California landscape. 

The mountain consists of four overlapping volcanic cones that have built a complex shape, including the main summit and the prominent satellite cone of 12,330 ft (3,760 m) Shastina, which has a visibly conical form. If Shastina were a separate mountain, it would rank as the fourth-highest peak of the Cascade Range (after Mount Rainier, Rainier's Liberty Cap, and Mount Shasta itself).

Mount Shasta's surface is relatively free of deep glacial erosion except, paradoxically, for its south side where Sargents Ridge runs parallel to the U-shaped Avalanche Gulch. This is the largest glacial valley on the volcano, although it does not presently have a glacier in it. There are seven named glaciers on Mount Shasta, with the four largest (Whitney, Bolam, Hotlum, and Wintun) radiating down from high on the main summit cone to below 10,000 ft (3,000 m) primarily on the north and east sides. The Whitney Glacier is the longest, and the Hotlum is the most voluminous glacier in the state of California. Three of the smaller named glaciers occupy cirques near and above 11,000 ft (3,400 m) on the south and southeast sides, including the Watkins, Konwakiton, and Mud Creek glaciers.

Climbing Mount Shasta

The first recorded ascent of Mount Shasta occurred in 1854 (by Elias Pearce), after several earlier failed attempts. In 1856, the first women (Harriette Eddy, Mary Campbell McCloud, and their party) reached the summit. By the 1860s and 1870s, Mount Shasta was the subject of scientific and literary interest. A book by California pioneer and entrepreneur James Hutchings, titled Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, contained an account of an early summit trip in 1855. The summit was achieved (or nearly achieved) by John Muir, Josiah Whitney, Clarence King, and John Wesley Powell. In 1877, Muir wrote a dramatic popular article about his surviving an overnight blizzard on Mount Shasta by lying in the hot sulfur springs near the summit. This experience was inspiration to Kim Stanley Robinson's short story "Muir on Shasta".

The 1887 completion of the Central Pacific Railroad, built along the line of the Siskiyou Trail between California and Oregon, brought a substantial increase in tourism, lumbering, and population into the area around Mount Shasta. Early resorts and hotels, such as Shasta Springs and Upper Soda Springs, grew up along the Siskiyou Trail around Mount Shasta, catering to these early adventuresome tourists and mountaineers.

Many climbers attempt the summit of Mount Shasta. The summer climbing season runs from late April until October, although many attempts are made in the winter. Avalanches and rapidly changing weather conditions make winter climbs more dangerous, however rock fall is a threat year round. Visit the Shasta-Trinity National Forest  web-site for more general information regarding other activites and safety information for The Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Mount Shasta is also a popular destination for backcountry skiing. Many of the climbing routes can be descended by experienced skiers, and there are numerous lower-angled areas around the base of the mountain.

The most popular route on Mount Shasta is Avalanche Gulch route, which begins at the Bunny Flat Trailhead and gains about 7,300 feet (2,200 m) of elevation in approximately 11.5 miles (18.5 km) round trip. The crux of this route is considered to be to climb from Lake Helen, at approximately 10,443 feet (3,183 m), to the top of Red Banks. The Red Banks are the most technical portion of the climb, as they are usually full of snow/ice, are very steep, and top out at around 13,000 feet (4,000 m) before the route heads to Misery Hill. The Casaval Ridge route is a steeper, more technical route on the mountain's southwest ridge best climbed when there's a lot of snow pack. This route tops out to the left (north) of the Red Banks, directly west of Misery Hill. So the final sections involve a trudge up Misery Hill to the summit plateau, similar to the Avalanche Gulch route.^] Mount Shasta's west face as seen from Hidden Valley high on the mountain. The west face gulley is an alternate climbing route to the summit.

No quota system currently exists for climbing Mount Shasta, and reservations are not required. However, climbers must obtain a summit pass and a wilderness permit to climb the mountain. Permits and passes are available at the ranger station in Mount Shasta and the ranger station in McCloud, or climbers can obtain self-issue permits and passes at any of the trailheads 24 hours a day.

Sources:

- Mount Shasta in Summitpost.org

- Mount Shasta by College of the Siskiyous

- Mount Shasta Wikipedia Page

The painter 

Not to be  confused with the austrian physician, Joseph Breuer, Henry Joseph Breuer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  in 1860 is a american painter who earned a reputation as a well-known "painter of poetic landscapes."  He studied art during the 1870s in Buffalo, New York, and then worked as a designer-decorator for the Rockwood Pottery Company in Cincinnati where he also attended the Art Academy. He worked for five years as a lithographer in New York City. 

In 1888, he settled in San Francisco where he became art editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and Californian magazine. Then he went to France for art study and was influenced by the Barbizon School of impressionist painters of rural landscapes. 

Living out of a horse-drawn wagon, he traveled extensively along the western coast of California and Oregon, painting and earning a national reputation for his landscapes. He also painted in Arizona including Canyon de Chelly in Navajo country and did commissioned views of the San Gabriel Valley for the St. Louis Exposition in 1904.


In 1903 he spent two weeks in  Mount Shasta which had a great impact on him. In the Cincinatti  Time Stars he wrote: 

" I board a train to some station somewhere near Mount Shasta,and this into the woods. I man a one- man camp every night for two weeks.  It was cold and sometimes miserable in the thick, wet, cold mist of the mountain side, but the days were grand before that high, white altar, Shasta! I shall feel for all my life that I was a true pilgrim, and for the sake of days like that, I am happy to be what I am, a landscape painter..."

Sources:  - Edan Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940 - Peggy and Harold Samuels, The Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West - Breuer biography in Califonia Art Auction website - Breuer  biography in Rehs Gallery

PAYU PEAK BY VITTORIO SELLA

VITTORIO SELLA (1859-1943)

 Payu Peak (6,610 m - 21, 686 ft)

Pakistan

Photographed in 1909

The mountain 

The Payu Peak  ( 6610 m - 21, 686 ft) is located in the central Karakoram (or Karakorum) in Pakistan,  on the north side of the Baltoro glacier at the western end of the Baltoro Muztagh. It is named after a mountain range, the Payu group, which includes the Uli Biaho peak, Uli Biaho Tower and Choricho.  In 1974, there was an attempt at ascension of a Pakistani-American expedition under the leadership of Nicholas B. Clinch, in which a Pakistani member was mortally injured.

In July the same year, a  spanish team (Alberto Inurrategui, Jeauna Vallejo and Mikel Zabal) tried to reach the summit by the South face but was injured by a stone fall a few meters before the pilar.

In the following year, a French expedition under Jean Fréhel attempted the first ascent. 

Finally, in 1976 a Pakistani mountaineer group succeeded in climbing the Paiju Peak. Bashir Ahmed, Manzoor Hussain and Nazir Ahmed Sabir reached the summit on July 20, 1976.  The group was accompanied by the American climber Allen Steck until shortly before the summit. 

The artist
Vittorio Sella is a mountain italian climber and photographer who took his passion for mountains from his uncle, Quintino Sella, founder of the Italian Alpine Club.  He accomplished many remarkable climbs in the Alps, the first wintering in the Matterhorn and Mount Rose (1882) and the first winter crossing of Mont Blanc (1888).

He took part in various expeditions outside Italy:
- Three in the Caucasus in 1889, 1890 and 1896 where a summit still bears his name;
- The ascent of Mount Saint Elias in Alaska in 1897;
- Sikkim and Nepal in 1899;
- Possibly climb Mount Stanley in Uganda in 1906 during an expedition to the Rwenzori;
- Recognition at K2  in 1909;
- In Morocco in 1925.
During expeditions in Alaska, Uganda and Karakoram (K2), he accompanied the Duke of Abruzzi, Prince Luigi Amedeo di Savoia.
Sella continues the practice of climbing into his old age, completing his final attempt in the Matterhorn at the age of 76; a climb he had to interrupt the rise following an accident in which one of his guides injured. He died in his hometown during World War II.  His photographic collection is now managed by the Sella Foundation.
His photos mountain are still  considered today to be among the finest ever made.
Jim Curran believes that "Sella remains probably the greatest photographer of the mountain.  His name is synonymous with technical perfection and aesthetic refinement. "
The quality of the pictures of Vittorio Sella is partly explained by the use of a view camera 30 × 40 cm, despite the difficulty of the transportation of such a device, both heavy and fragile in places inaccessible; to be able to transport it safely, he had to make special pieces that can be stored in saddle bags.  His photographs have been widely distributed, either through the press or in the galleries, and were unanimously celebrated; Ansel Adams, who was able to admire thirty-one in an exhibition that was organized at Sella American Sierra Club, said they inspired him "a religious kind of sense of wonder."  Many of his pictures were taken in the mountains for the very first time in the History, which give them a much artistic, historical  but also scientific value ; for example, one could measure the decline in the Rwenzori glaciers in Central Africa.
Source:
 -  The Georgian Museum of Photography

MOUNT KAZBEK PAINTED BY IVAN AIVAZOVZKY

IVAN AIVAZOVSKY (1817-1900)

Mount Kazbek (5,047m- 16, 558ft)

Georgia - Russia

 From the roads to Gudauri in 1868, oil on canvas, Private collection 

The mountain 

Mount Kazbek (5,047m - 16, 558ft) or Mkinvartsveri (in Georgian) or Bashlam (in Vainkah)  is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus located in the Kazbegi District of Georgia,just south of the border with Russia.  It is the third highest peak in Georgia (after Mount Shkhara and Janga) and the seventh highest summit in the Caucasus Mountains.  Kazbek is also the second highest volcanic summit in the Caucasus, after Mount Elbrus. The summit lies directly to the west of the town of Stepantsminda and is the most prominent geographic feature of the area. Mount Kazbek is the highest peak of Eastern Georgia. 

Kazbek is located on the Khokh Range, a mountain range which runs north of the Greater Caucasus Range, and which is pierced by the gorges of the Ardon and the Terek. At its eastern foot runs the Georgian Military Road through the pass of Darial 2,378 meters (7805 feet). The mountain itself lies along the edge of the Borjomi-Kazbegi Fault (which is a northern sub-ending of the Anatolian Fault). The region is highly active tectonically, with numerous small earthquakes occurring at regular intervals. An active geothermal/hot spring system also surrounds the mountain. Kazbek is a potentially active volcano, built up of trachyte and sheathed with lava, and has the shape of a double cone, whose base lies at an altitude of 1,770 m (5,800 feet). Kazbek is the highest of the volcanic cones of the Kazbegi volcanic group which also includes Mount Khabarjina (3,142 m).

Owing to the steepness of its slopes, the glaciers of Kazbek are not very large. The total combined area of all of Kazbek's glaciers is 135 kmІ. The best-known glacier is the Dyevdorak (Devdaraki), which creeps down the north-eastern slope into a gorge of the same name, reaching a level of 2,295 meters (7,530 feet). Kazbek's other glaciers include the Mna, Denkara, Gergeti, Abano, and Chata. The recent collapse of the Kolka Glacier, located in a valley between Mt. Jimara and Kazbek in the year 2002 was attributed to solfatara volcanic activity along the northern slope of the mountain, although there was no eruption. In addition to the 2002 event, a massive collapse of the Devdaraki Glacier on the mountain's northeastern slope which occurred on August 20, 2014, led to the death of seven people. The glacier collapse dammed the Terek River in the Daryal Gorge and flooded the Georgian Military Highway.

Gudauri nowadays is a ski resort located on the south-facing plateau of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the Georgian Military Highway near the Cross Pass, at an elevation of 2,200 meters (7,200 ft.) with skiable area enjoying maximum exposure to the sun. Gudauri lies120 km (75 mi) to the north of the capital Tbilisi.  The slopes of Gudauri are completely above the tree line and are best for free-riders and are generally considered to be avalanche-safe. The ski season lasts from December to April. 

The painter 

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Ива́н Константи́нович Айвазо́вский)  was a Russian Romantic painter. Despite he is considered one of the greatest marine artists in history, he painted a few mountains landscapes.  Aivazovsky was born into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia and was mostly based in his native Crimea.  Following his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts, Aivazovsky traveled to Europe and lived briefly in Italy in the early 1840s. He then returned to Russia and was appointed the main painter of the Russian Navy. Aivazovsky had close ties with the military and political elite of the Russian Empire and often attended military maneuvers. He was sponsored by the state and was well-regarded during his lifetime. The saying "worthy of Aivazovsky's brush", popularized by Anton Chekhov, was used in Russia for "describing something ineffably lovely." One of the most prominent Russian artists of his time, Aivazovsky was also popular outside Russia. He held numerous solo exhibitions in Europe and the United States. During his almost 60-year career, he created around 6,000 paintings, making him one of the most prolific artists of his time. The vast majority of his works are seascapes, but he often depicted battle scenes, Armenian themes, and portraiture. Most of Aivazovsky's works are kept in Russian, Ukrainian and Armenian museums as well as private collections.

A primarily Romantic painter, Aivazovsky used some Realistic elements.  Leek argued that Aivazovsky remained faithful to Romanticism] throughout his life, "even though he oriented his work toward the Realist genre."  His early works are influenced by his Academy of Arts teachers Maxim Vorobiev and Sylvester Shchedrin. Classic painters like Salvator Rosa, Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael and Claude Lorrain contributed to Aivazovsky's individual process and style. Karl Bryullov, best known for his The Last Day of Pompeii, "played an important part in stimulating Aivazovsky's own creative development," according to Bolton. Aivazovsky's best paintings in the 1840s–1850s used a variety of colors and were both epic and romantic in theme. Newmarch suggested that by the mid-19th century the romantic features in Aivazovsky’'s work became "increasingly pronounced." She, like most scholars, considered his Ninth Wave his best piece of art and argued that it "seems to mark the transition between fantastic color of his earlier works, and the more truthful vision of the later years." By the 1870s, his paintings were dominated by delicate colors; and in the last two decades of his life, Aivazovsky created a series of silver-toned seascapes.

The distinct transition in Russian art from Romanticism to Realism in the mid-nineteenth century left Aivazovsky, who would always retain a Romantic style, open to criticism. Proposed reasons for his unwillingness or inability to change began with his location; Feodosia was a remote town in the huge Russian empire, far from Moscow and Saint Petersburg. His mindset and worldview were similarly considered old-fashioned, and did not correspond to the developments in Russian art and culture.^[31] Vladimir Stasov only accepted his early works, while Alexandre Benois wrote in his The History of Russian Painting in the 19th Century that despite he was Vorobiev's student, Aivazovsky stood apart from the general development of the Russian landscape school.

Aivazovsky's later work contained dramatic scenes and was usually done on a larger scale. He depicted "the romantic struggle between man and the elements in the form of the sea (The Rainbow, 1873), and so-called "blue marines" (The Bay of Naples in Early Morning, 1897, Disaster, 1898) and urban landscapes (Moonlit Night on the Bosphorus, 1894)."